Aproaching Disaster
by Gilgamesh The King of Heroes
Summary: Never underestimate the power of children. Having been discovered robbing the Tohsaka Manor, little Harry Potter unwittingly found himself pulled into a deadly conflict... with the King of Heroes herself as his Servant.
1. The Golden King

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Zero or anything in the Nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Harry Potter/Fate Zero fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please, constructive criticism only.**

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Seven year old Harry Potter was sitting in an alley in the cold Japanese winter rain in a strange city called Fuyuki. The Dursleys had simply abandoned him here and had left. His Uncle had come here for business and after the deal had gone wrong he was driving back to the hotel they were staying at.

As they sped through the streets his Uncle glared at him through the mirror before ordering Dudley to open Harry's door while the car was still driving. Dudley complied and his Uncle slowed down, then on his Aunts order Dudley undid Harry's seatbelt and shoved him out of the moving car.

This resulted in Harry skidding along the wet road after he had flown out of the car and in turned caused his arm to become sprained, his relatives laughing as they drove away.

That was how Harry found himself all alone after he had limped into the alleyway. A shadow fell over him as he leant again the wall that his back against. Harry looked and saw three men in jackets standing over him. They looked very scary and also not very happy to see him.

"_Look what we have here boys some foreign brat_" the middle one said to his friends who chuckled

"_Let's show the foreign brat he's not welcome on our turf_" the one right one said

Harry didn't understand what they were saying but they sounded pretty threatening. The left one suddenly kicked Harry in the gut causing him to smash into the wall behind him triggering an explosion of pain in his back.

"_Stupid kid, I hate foreigners especially brats_" the middle said kicking Harry in the side.

The three men continued kicking and beating Harry as he lay just taking the attacks. It wasn't really any different than when his aunt hit him, but that didn't make the pain hurt any less.

Harry could feel a coppery taste gathering in his mouth.

'Blood' he thought to himself 'Is this it? Why do I have to die like this? Why do I have to die far away from home and all alone?'

Suddenly there was a pause, the men had stopped kicking him. Harry strained to open his eyes, he saw someone standing at the end of the alley.

It was an older girl, about eighteen years old. She had bourbon coloured brown hair that was cut just above her shoulders, her bangs parted to each side of her face which had brown eyes. On her back she had a single long set of strands of hair tied into a small pony tail, and with are the same colour as her hair, she also had a large chest under her black clothing.

"_Who the hell are you?_" The middle one asked "_Wearing that mask-less Shinobi shozoku do you think you're a ninja little girl?_"

"_If there's one thing I hate its people that pick on others_" she said calmly approaching the three while cracking her knuckles "_So why don't you get lost before I hurt you?_"

"_AHAHAHA_" the middle one cackled "_Lets teach this bitch some manners then we can get back to brat_"

"_Alright bitch time to die_" The right one said as the three charged her.

The middle one reached her first and threw a clumsy punch at the girl. Harry wanted to warn her but couldn't even find the strength to move. Surprisingly she dodged the punch very quickly and grabbed his arm, twisting it and delivery a chop to the forearm causing it to break.

She then spun him around causing him to crash into the right most thug which sent them both flying into nearby dustbins, knocking them out. The left most one looked angrier and tried to kick her.

But she grabbed the foot as it approached her head and held it firmly in place. The thug tried to break free but her grip was too strong. She then used her free hand to break both parts of his leg and dislocate it. Then she slammed a palm into his gut sending him flying on top of the other two.

After a few seconds the thugs picked themselves up and ran away shouting.

"_Y-you better watch yourself we'll remember this_" the middle thug shouted as they ran away.

She dusted her hands off before turning to look at Harry who was having trouble getting up. Harry flinched as she walked closer and closer to him, her footsteps echoing as she got closer. When she saw her shadow fall over him, Harry closed his eyes waiting for her to hit him.

But the pain never came, instead Harry felt himself being picked up off of the rain soaked ground. He saw that she was cradling him in her arms and held an umbrella with one free hand, protecting them both from the rain.

"My name is Yume" she said in broken English "What's your name?"

Harry's pain prevented him from responding.

"Well you can come home with me and I'll treat those injuries ok?" Yume asked

He only had the strength to nod as darkness took him.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Harry awoke from his unconscious state and allowed his eyes to flutter open, his bruises didn't hurt as much now and, he couldn't taste blood in his too badly. But there was a sensation of pain as he tried to move, so he flopped back onto the bed he was on, it turned out to be a simple mattress on a floor.

He saw that he was in a small slightly dirty bedroom that had very little in it except for another mattress on the floor nearby.

"Where am I?" Harry asked himself quietly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Harry noticed that his sides and other parts of his body were wrapped in bandagers and they didn't hurt as much as they did last night. Suddenly the wooden door slide open, revealing the ninja girl from last night.

The girl called Yume. She knelt down to his level and began speaking in English.

"Are you ok?" she asked worriedly "You took a real beating from those idiots last night"

Harry chose to remain quiet; in his experience it was best to just remain quiet. Older people in his life were rarely nice to him unless they wanted something and when they got it they left without a care in the world. Usually they were just nice to him so they could talk business with his uncle.

Of course when they discovered that his uncle was very happy to talk business as long as it didn't involve Harry they were quick to forget he even existed. Harry knew that older people didn't care and it was best if he just didn't speak at all. So silence was his choice, he just hoped he wasn't going to be beaten again.

So after a few seconds of Harry staring into Yume's eyes without uttering a word she sighed. She knew he could understand her, when her parents were alive they drilled English into her but that was years ago and she had let her skills slip. But even so the boy should be able to understand her fine even if her English was a bit broken.

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. He had a look in his eyes that she'd seen before. It had been a year ago; she had found a ten year old girl in an alleyway wearing a winter uniform. She had run away from home and had no desire to go back there.

Yume had initially thought she was just lost and had managed to get her home address out of her. The girl whose name was Yuno was very resistant and Yume had to resort to using her eyes to get Yuno to tell Yume where she lived. It worked and Yume dragged her back home.

When they did arrive and Yuno's parents opened the door and thanked her for bringing their daughter back. But Yuno gave her look that asked 'how could you betray me?' Initially Yume simply thought it was a childish argument that had caused Yuno to act out so Yume thought little of it.

But a week later when Yume decided to visit Yuno she discovered a crime scene. According to the police Yuno was being abused by her parents very badly. Apparently her parents locked her in a cage very frequently for the slightest infraction; even breathing too loudly was a crime to them.

Eventually Yuno snapped, and managed to escape from her cage somehow. She then grabbed a meat cleaver form the kitchen and killed her parents before killing herself. Yume had cried for days cursing her for being so ignorant.

So Yume had thrown herself into learning how to recognise the signs an abused child, and this foreign boy that she had rescued definitely fit into that category. She could see the signs of malnutrition on his body and could see the fear of being hit in his eyes.

"Easy ok there's no need to be scared of me alright?" Yume said in a soothing tone "I told you my name. Can you at least tell me yours?"

"Harry Potter" Harry said cautiously not trusting the girl just yet.

Just because someone appeared nice and helped you didn't mean they were on your side. He'd learnt that lesson with the Dursleys many a time.

"Well my full name is Yume Kurokami" Yume said "Do you have any parents?

"No they died a long time ago" Harry replied sadly his depression causing a magical outburst, not an explosive one but an outburst nonetheless his hair colour suddenly changed "My aunt says that they died in a car crash"

Yume blinked. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing right. Then she sighed.

"Harry..." She began slowly. "Why did your hair turn _purple_?"

The small boy flinched away from her. "Things like this have been happening all my life. My hair changes color or grows really fast, sometimes when running from bullies I instantly find myself far away from them or somewhere they can't reach me... my uncle said it's because I'm a freak."

"Then your uncle is stupid." Yume knelt in front of him, her eyes shining. "What else can you do? Did you ever try to do something unusual on purpose?"

Harry shook his head. "No..."

"I see..." Yume looked away in thought. "Hey, maybe you can do something to instantly learn Japanese! That would make talking to you so much easier!"

Based on how he understood one word in three of what she said and filled in the blanks by guessing, Harry had to agree.

"Here!" Yume handed him an English-Japanese dictionary. "Try instantly memorizing all of this!"

Harry nodded, closed his eyes and gripped the book tightly, thinking really hard about learning everything in there.

After a few minutes, he put the book down and shook his head sadly. "Nothing..."

"Hey, it's fine!" Yume assured him. "How about... how about you try to learn Japanese directly from my mind?"

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, maybe you can do some mind reading or something." Yume beckoned him over. "Here, sit right in front of me, look into my eyes, don't blink, and focus on learning Japanese directly from my mind!"

Harry nodded and sat down across from her, his face scrunched up in concentration as he stared into her eyes.

'_Get into Yume's mind... learn Japanese... get into Yume's mind... learn Japanese... get into Yume's mind!'_

His eyes widened when he felt part of his consciousness drift, then images of a past not his own assaulted his mind. Somehow, he managed not to get distracted.

'_Ok, I'm in... learn Japanese... learn Japanese... learn Japanese!'_

A sharp pain shot through both of their heads, causing them to recoil away from each other and clutch their heads.

"Oww..."

"Ore no atama..."

"Ore no atama?" Harry blinked. "That means 'my head'... hey, I understood that!"

Yume blinked, stared at Harry for a moment, and then let loose a torrent of really fast Japanese.

"Yes, I'm fine." Harry felt like laughing at his success as he responded, also in Japanese. "My head feels like it's splitting in two, but I can understand you!"

Both of them burst into victorious laughter, before...

"Gaah, it hurts!"

"Too loud..."

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The morning had come and gone quickly with Harry now able to speak the same language as Yume with her having to switch back forth between English and Japanese. The only problem was that he couldn't read or write Japanese, but it was better than nothing.

"Yume, where are we going?" Harry asked as the two entered the central park passing numerous children and parents on their way in.

"We're going to meet a friend of mine." Yume told Harry as they approached the park playground.

"Kariya comes here every day and watches the children have fun. Sometimes he actually plays with them too. He had some sort of accident a year ago that left him horribly disfigured, but he's still the same person, so none of the kids here fear him."

She motioned to a man in a tracksuit and hood, who noticed them and was approaching. "It was Kariya who suggested that rich guy's place as a good robbing target."

"It was, huh..." Harry looked up at the stranger's white hair, mismatched eyes, and bulging veins on half of his face. As he watched, _something_ seemed to move through them.

"Hey, Yume." The man smiled, speaking in a raspy voice. "I see you brought a friend. What's your name?"

"I'm Harry, sir." Harry bowed, having learned some Japanese customs by now. "Harry Potter."

"Sounds English." Kariya nodded approvingly. "But your Japanese sounds really good. How did you meet Yume?"

"Hey! Kariya" Yume whined playfully getting the man's attention away from Harry. "I came to talk to you. Stop ignoring me for Harry."

"Someone's jealous, I see." Kariya teased her, laughing as she pouted. "Anyway, Yume, how did it go? Did you find Tohsaka's place?"

"Yeah!" Yume nodded happily. "Got tons of stuff from there too! The man didn't even have any decent security there!"

"I see..." Kariya looked satisfied. "You planning to go there again?"

"Most likely!" Yume's eyes shone at the idea. "There was so much more I wanted to take from there!"

"Good luck with that then." Kariya nodded, before sighing. "Sorry, but I have to go already. It was nice meeting you, Harry"

"You too, sir."

Yume watched as Kariya hobbled away. "So what did you think of him, Harry?"

"He looks scary." Harry decided. "But he sounds like a really nice person. I like him."

The two stayed in the park for a few more minutes before they went home.

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"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked Yume as they crept through the towering hedges that Tokiomi Tohsaka had around his mansion.

"Of course I'm sure." she smiled, "Believe me; this guy has more money than anyone around here. He won't miss a few little things. And no one will know."

Wordlessly, Harry nodded, and they made their way across the yard. Surprisingly, he didn't have security cameras, and his doors were unlocked.

"See?" Yume whispered after they'd entered through the back door, "He's got so much; he doesn't even care if something gets stolen."

Nodding, Harry and Yume each took a bag and looked around. They only took items that wouldn't be missed, like fancy silverware he had hundreds of, or a few jewels that he had lying in a large box in the living room. Once they'd both filled their sacks, they prepared to leave.

"Let's just check down here." Yume smiled, pointing towards the basement door.

"Haven't we got enough?" Harry whispered, "Let's just go while we can."

"Don't worry." she says, silently opening the door and creeping down. After a few seconds thought, Harry did the same.

The staircase down was completely dark, with no sign of any light fixtures at all. So, Yume carefully led the way, holding tightly on to Harry's hand to ensure he didn't fall. After several minutes, they'd made it safely to the bottom. There was a short hallway leading up to an old fashioned iron door. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood on end as Yume reached towards it, and he grabbed her arm, "Please..." he whispered, "Let's just go."

She looked at him and said, "Alright. Just after this room. I've got a good feeling."

Before Harry could stop her again, she'd pushed the door open just a crack. From the other side, they could hear a man chanting, and what sounded almost like wind. The chanting end abruptly as the sound of the wind intensified, and the door opened all the way.

On the other side was a man dressed in a fine red suit and holding on to a jewel topped cane. "Well now." he smiled, "I thought you might come back, young lady, after your last visit. But I didn't think it would be tonight of all nights."

Yume had placed herself between him and Harry, so he would hopefully hidden by the darkness of the hallway.

"If you knew I'd broken in, why didn't you stop me?" She asked, stepping forward to draw attention to herself and give Harry a chance to escape, "I mean, there wasn't anything to stop me. You didn't even lock your doors."

"Why would I? "He asked, "I mean, I'm about to acquire the greatest security system the world has ever known. Would you like to come inside and see? We'll decide what to do with you afterwards."

Stepping aside, he gestures for Yume to walk inside. Before she does, she sends a small signal to harry to leave while he could. Tokiomi closed the door, but not all the way as he returns inside. His voice and Yume's came to Harry's ears clear as day.

"Honestly, I am not a cruel man. If you hadn't returned, I would have been more than willing to let you keep even the family heirlooms you'd stolen before. But you had to return, and unfortunately, I cannot allow anyone to interfere with my summoning."

"I don't give a damn about your summoning." Yume said simply, "I'm just trying to provide for me and my family."

"Surely you could've gotten a job instead of resorting to theft." Tokiomi sighed, "It's a tragedy, but I'm afraid I can't let you leave. Not now."

Yume closed her eyes for a second before re-opening them, now they shone a purple colour instead of their usual brown.

"There's no need to harm us" Yume voice seemed to echo with commanding yet peaceful tone through the room "You can just let us go, you won't need to worry about us again."

"I-I won't have to worry about" Tokiomi shook his head after having sent Prana through his circuits "Nice try young lady but a Hypnotic Suggestion is still just a suggestion"

"My eyes didn't work?" Yume gasped her eyes returning to normal "But how? They've never failed me before"

"I see, this confirms my suspicions" Tokiomi said "You are the daughter of those people no doubt about it now. You are indeed the last child of the Kurokami family. The foremost Japanese Experts on Mystic Eyes, known for their expertise even inside the Clock Tower that died in an explosion in their home eleven years ago, while their daughter was out. I knew they were trying to create a new type of Mystic Eyes. The so called Mystic Eyes of Command. I can make an educated guess as to what the purpose of such eyes was to be and I also knew that they experimented on their daughter. Originally I planned to claim their research for myself if it was ever successful but alas it seems fate had other designs. But I am willing to wager that some of your parent's research remains inside you. Those Mystic Eyes of Whisper of yours were likely the first stepping stone to the Mystic Eyes of Command. Never mind, I shall cripple you and maybe I'll build on your parents research and do what they could no, such power eyes would give me a great advantage, both in the war and in other areas."

"I'll never let that happen" Yume spat angrily

"I don't need you compliant, however while being alive would make it easier on me to complete your parents research that too is optional" Tokiomi replied coolly  
Harry's heart was beating out of his chest, and his survival instinct was screaming at him to run away, but he was frozen in place. He couldn't just leave her. She was the only family he had.

The bag in his hand toppled over, spilling its priceless contents all over the floor Tokiomi stopped talking almost immediately and ran toward the door, and Harry who was frozen in fear. Evidently, Yume wasn't about to let that happen.

The door swung open, and Tokiomi stared at Harry's face for a moment before Yume crashed into him and sent him flying to the side.

"Go!" she screamed, "Hurry! You need to get out of here!"

Her senses calmly took in the scene before him. She was still in spirit form, a habit of hers, so that she could get a good look at the man who was to be her master. What she got instead was a drama fit even for her court. This woman, caught breaking in by the master of the house, urging her child to flee lest he too be capture.

Naturally, she should have shown herself, stopping any attempted escape before it began, but she didn't. As the child finally turned to run, the man in red had gotten back to his feet, and blasted the woman aside with a spell before turning his staff upon the fleeing child.

'As expected.' she thought, 'There was only ever one way this could've ended.'

When, at that moment, a miracle happened that she hadn't expected in even a million years. The woman, despite having her leg broken in the previous attack, willed herself to her feet and threw herself in front of him just as a stream of crimson fire leapt from his staff.

But she could tell that this was no ordinary magical fire, it was cursed. So even should the target survive, the wounds inflicted would never heal and would continue to eat away at the fool that was struck by them.

The woman's screams as she burned brought to the surface memories that should have lain dormant. In her arms lay a man, her closest friend, as he himself faced the god's fire. The life that they had given to him was unjustly taken away as she could do nothing but scream as he returned to the clay of the earth.

On the stairs, the boy had stopped running, screaming as he ran to her side, to be with her at her last few moments, and wasting her sacrifice as well.

"Damn that was unfortunate, but it's not a total loss. I might be able to salvage something from her corpse. But as for you, worry not you'll have to die now. Have to keep the secret of magic after all" the master said calmly, raising his staff and pointing it at the boy even as the woman tried in vain to stop him with her last breathes.

On instinct only, she returned to her physical form, "Mongrel." She asked, "Are you to be my master?"

The man jumped as she made her presence known. Turning back to her, he knelled before her, "Indeed, my king. I am-"

The words were silenced as a spear flew through his right shoulder, pinning him to a wall.

"A mongrel dares to turn his back on me and then makes excuses?" she scowled, walking towards the boy clutching the burned body of his loved one. The expression of grief upon his face was all too real, and so similar to her own as she looked upon the clay that had once been Enkidu. "Are you my master, boy?"

"M-Master?" he croaked out, "What do you..?"

"The contract is accepted." she said simply, and the command seals that had attached themselves to the man vanished, appearing instead on the boy.

"This canno-" The man started before being stabbed through the heart by the King of Heroes.

Harry had turned back to Yume; the life was rapidly leaving eighteen year old girls eyes. They had spent the past few months living together in an abandoned building that no one really paid attention to, and now the older girl that had helped him, sacrificed for him, been his friend and kept him calm when the nightmares came was rapidly dying.

And it was his entire fault for not running when she told him to. Unlike most children his age Harry was familiar with the concept of death and its impact. The Dursleys were all too happy to destroy his innocence and tell him that his parents were dead and never coming back. They said that he was the reason his dad got drunk and died in the car crash.

So now not only had he killed his parents, but his only friend in the entire world as well. Tears fell from his cheeks and dropped onto Yume's rapidly cooling face. Risei Kotomine who had been present had long since fled along with his son, having seen his plans crashing down around him there was no purpose in staying.

Gilgamesh approached the boy staring down at him as he cradled the woman's body. He was physically scrawny, and looked rather unhealthy, however the Prana he was providing more than made up for his appearance. In fact it was more than that pathetic Magus could have provided. If she was correct the boy was a Wizard rather than a Magus.

The difference between them was that Wizards take Mana from the land and store it for later use via a spiritual organ called a magical core that they possessed. When they wished to cast a spell the mana is taken up back up through the core which converts it into prana and sends it into the foci for use usually a wand or something similar. However in return their magic wasn't suited for battle like a Magus was.

No the Magecraft of the Magus was more suited for fighting than Wizardcraft was and could achieve greater effects that could change the world. The problem was that they had to be very careful with who they passed their craft onto. Otherwise their mysteries stopped being mysteries and their craft became weaker as a result. Wizards didn't suffer from this problem.

But that was all irrelevant for now. She had a great supply of Prana, now she just needed to talk to her child master about the basics. It wouldn't be hard to convince him to fight, after all who wouldn't want to bring someone they cared about back from the dead.

"Alright boy" she said as he looked at her sniffling "I am Archer and you are now a master in the Holy Grail War.."

"She isn't dead. At least, not quite yet she's not, but there is no recovering from those wounds without some sort of... miracle. Tell me, do you wish for a miracle? If so, then I can keep her from degrading further, but only the grail can heal her wounds. Young boy, are you going to be a worthy master?"

Naturally she knew she had struck true. The boy's eyes light up with determination.

"How do we win this" he asked "I will win the grail. No one else can be allowed to touch it"

"We kill the other six servants" Archer answered "Saber, Assassin, Caster, Rider, Lancer and Berserker. Then we claim the Holy Grail, our wishes will be granted. You are up to it aren't you? Otherwise that woman. Your friend that _you_ almost got killed will stay in this state of living death forever."

"I'll do whatever it takes" Harry said with determination "I don't care about anyone else, no cared about me before Yume did. I want her back no matter what. So I'll win I don't care whose dreams I have to destroy to get her back. She's an irreplaceable treasure to me."

Archer grinned, she was almost impressed. Almost.

"For now go upstairs and go to sleep." Archer ordered "We'll talk about the other servants and masters in them morning. I'll take care of your friend's body."

Harry nodded and with one last glance at Yume walked upstairs. Gilgamesh watched the boy go before summoning a golden glass coffin from her vault. It would keep the woman's in a state of sleeping death, she would be kept just barely alive and it would stop the curse from progressing any further and prevent her wounds from killing her. She put the woman's body inside of it and sealed it shut.

Gilgamesh then brought it upstairs with her and placed it in the main living room. As a constant reminder to ensure her master didn't forget what he was fighting for.


	2. The Other Masters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Zero or anything in the Nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Harry Potter/Fate Zero fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please, constructive criticism only.**

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"Alright! I'm not gonna lose today you just watch." Ilya declared as she walked across the snow-covered grounds of the forest with a determined look on her face.

Illya was currently wearing her winter ensemble which consisted of a collared, purple long-sleeved shirt with a purple jacket over it and a light purple scarf to match, a long white skirt and purple boots. She was also wearing white gloves and a purple papkha hat.

They were playing what was called the walnut game; the winner was the one who counted the most walnuts buds in the forest before time was up.

Illya had a cute look of concentration on her face as she looked around for any signs of walnut buds.

Kiritsugu Emiya also known as the Magus Killer followed behind her at a more sedate pace wearing black jeans and a black shirt with a black trench coat over it.

Kiritsugu smirked as he caught sight of a walnut bud near the top of a tree. "Ah! I've found one!"

"Wah?!" yelled Ilya in confusion before running back to him. "No way! Where is it? Aw gee I'm sure I didn't overlook it!"

Kiritsugu pointed at the walnut bud which was so high up on the tree that the shorter Ilya probably missed it. "It's right there, near the top of the tree. That's the very first walnut bud today. First point to me"

Illya huffing childishly and ran ahead "I'm not gonna lose!" Ilya yelled running off ahead determined to find more walnuts than her father.

Kiritsugu chuckled at her actions and followed at his normal sedate pace.

The father and daughter duo continued their game with Ilya desperate to find a walnut bud to match her father. Eventually, she succeeded, finding a walnut bud at eye level (for her) in a nearby tree.

"Here's one" yelled Ilya happily "Right here. You see I found one too"

"I've found my second over here" came her father's amused voice.

"Huh!" Ilya quickly ran back to her father who was staring at her in amusement.

Illya blinked when she saw the branch which looked nothing at all like a walnut branch.

"Hey! That isn't a walnut branch" Ilya whined puffing her cheeks to express her annoyance.

Kiritsugu chuckled and kneeled so he was at her level. "It's kind of Ilya. That branch is actually from a tree called a wingnut. It's almost like a walnut. So as far as I'm concerned it's a walnut bud."

Illya froze before waving her arms around in annoyance. "That's No fair! No fair, no fair, no fair! The whole time we've been playing you've been cheating"

"Yes but, your daddy can't win this game against you otherwise." Kiritsugu explained nervously

Illya huffed and turned her back on him. "If you keep on cheating like you've been doing I won't play this game with you ever again!"

"I don't want that I'm sorry Ilya. I apologise" Kiritsugu said with as apologetic tone as he could manage

Ilya looked at him from the corner of her eye as she tried to see whether he was being sincere. Luckily, Kiritsugu had a very good poker face and she was convinced

"Do you promise not to cheat like that anymore?"

"Yes I do" said Kiritsugu promised holding one hand up in a begging gesture.

Ilya sniffed disdainfully but turned back to him.

"Ok then. I challenge you to one more round. A true champion accepts all challengers"

"Indeed, I am very honoured..." a mischievous look came to Kiritsugu's face. "...your highness!"

Ilya squealed as Kiritsugu lifted her up and sat her on his shoulders. Ilya had a wide smile on her face as she looked around from her new viewpoint. "Wow I'm so high up!"

From a window of Einzbern castle, a pair of green eyes were watching over the father and child, playing in the forest.

The young woman by the window looking out of the window to whom the eyes belonged had blonde hair, light and soft, and was wearing a medieval styled dress, which wrapped around her slender physique.

"What's got your attention out there" Asked Irisviel Von Einzbern as she set down some tea on a table and sat down "Saber?"

Saber the blue knight of the sword turned around.

"It's interesting your daughter and Kiritsugu are playing outside," replied Saber with a curious expression on her face as Irisviel walked over to join her looking out the window

"Are you surprised?" Irisviel asked

"I was under the impression that my Master had colder heart than he's showing now" Saber replied.

"Well I can see why you might think that" Irisviel said walking back over to the table

"If that really is Kiritsugu's true self. Then I'm afraid I must have gravely offended him when we first met" Saber said frowning

Irisviel gave out a giggle.

"Irisviel you really don't have to laugh at me" Saber said with annoyance

"I'm sorry" she apologised "I was wondering if you were still concerned with our reaction when you were summoned"

"Somewhat" she admitted. "But truly there is no need for you two to be so shocked when you saw me"

Irisviel sat down after pouring a cup of tea.

"I'm so sorry but, we just couldn't help it" Irisviel said apologetically "Your legend, I mean King Arthur's legend, is extremely famous."

"Well if that's the case" Saber looked away "Do you think he might underestimate my ability simply because I am a woman?"

"No never" Irisviel denied "Not at all. Then again, if he's upset as you think he is, I'm certain that there's a another reason."

"Such as?" Saber asked turning back to face her.

"He's probably upset at all the people who were around you at the time" Irisviel replied adding milk and stirring her tea "The selfish ones, the ones cruel enough and uncaring enough to force the role of king upon an innocent little girl"

"It was inevitable that would happen" Saber stated seriously"I resigned myself to that fate, when I drew forth the sword from the stone."

"I believe that upsets him more than anything else" Irisviel continued to stir her tea "Your resignation to your fate"

"Well then" Saber turned back to the window "He forgets his place, he hasn't the right to question decisions made by those of my time. Including those decisions I made myself"

"That's why he says nothing about it to you" Irisviel pointed out "I'm afraid that Kiritsugu Emiya and the Heroic Arturia will never get along with each other. He must have resigned himself to that fact."

Saber was silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

"He wants to use the Holy Grails power to save the world." Saber changed the subject "That is his ambition and yours correct?"

"Yes" Irisviel confirmed "But you must understand I get my beliefs directly from him"

"My own desire for the Grail is exactly the same. It is my fervent wish to save Britain, since I could not protect it in life." Saber said turning back to face Irisviel "I think what you and Kiritsugu seek is right and just, something to be proud of."

Kiritsugu continued walking through the forest with his daughter Ilya riding on his shoulders.

"Our next match won't happen until you come back from your trip to Japan will it?" Ilya asked looking down at her father

"That's right" Kiritsugu replied shortly.

"How long do you think that your work will keep you and mommy away from home?" Ilya asked "When will you come back?"

"I should be back here…" Kiritsugu began calculating in his head "In two weeks or so. Your mom won't be back for quite a while though"

"Yeah mommy told me about that already" Ilya said as Kiritsugu sighed pensively "She said we'd be apart for a long time, she also told me that even if we don't see each other for a long long time she'll always be right here by my side. So I shouldn't ever feel lonely, she told me that before I went to sleep. I'm gonna be together with mommy forever and ever and ever"

"I see" Kiritsugu said as he knelt down and let Ilya off of his shoulders and onto the ground. She turned and saw the sad look on his face and paused "Listen Illya"

Kiritsugu embraced his daughter tightly.

"Daddy?" she said his name in confusion

"Can you wait for me Illya?" Kiritsugu asked "Even if you're lonely, can you last till I come home?"

Illya made a noise of confirmation and nodded her head.

"Good, then I promise you, I'll be home" Kiritsugu vowed "Before you know it"

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Rider was currently in spirit form as he and Waver looked up at the stars near the forest that was adjacent to the Mackenzie's farm. suddenly the bushes began rustling causing Waver to panic thinking an enemy had found them.

"W-whose there" he stuttered "S-show yourself"

The rustling got more intense and Wavers panic began to rise. He wondered why Rider hadn't materialised yet. Seconds ticked by and the source was revealed to be...a child?

"Woah" he tripped over a branch and rolled onto his face "Ouch"

The boys was young, he could be older than seven, but he was small and scruffy enough to be around five years old.

"What tripped me?" he asked in small voice while rubbing his face as he stood up

Waver was stunned, he honestly didn't know what to think. The boy was wearing clothes that were too big for him. HIs hands were concealed by the gloves he wore. The boy was clearly a foreigner like himself, English if he was not mistaken.

"Hey this isn't the park" he said looking around in confusion "So where am I?"

"This is my grandparents' house" Waver said grabbing the boy's attention "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for the park" he said "But I got lost and wound up here somehow. I don't know the city too well."

"Is that where your parents are?" Waver asked "What's your name?"

"My names Harry" he said "And my parents in a car crash. My teacher said she'd wait at the park for me. She takes care of me now."

"I-i see" this conversation was getting awkward fast

"Hey that mark on your hand" Waver froze. Harry had seen his command seals visible on his hand.

"T-this it us uh...erm" Waver struggled to answer

Harry stumbled closer and grabbed hold of Wavers hand and looked closer. He had a thoughtful look on his face that was sort of cute.

"So...that mark must mean that you're..."

"W-wait I can explain this it's...its" Waver was trying and failing to come up with something, anything that would throw Harry off.

"You're in a gang" Harry nodded cheerfully.

Waver face faulted as he heard Rider chuckle at his expense.

"Wait that's not...I'm not" Waver tried to deny it.

"Boy" Rider said suddenly "Need I remind you that you can't let people know about this war. It's best to just let the lad keep his conclusion no matter how far off he is"

Waver was rapidly going red from embarrassment. He knew the rules and this kid would probably be killed if he discovered the truth. He had no choice.

"Yes" Waver conceded in a defeated tone "I'm in a gang"

Harry tilted his head and smiled.

"Really?" he asked "Well you don't look like you really belong in one. You look more like a teacher or something than a fighter. If you really want to be close to fighting why don't go join the army as a strategist or something?"

"Well you see...er...fighting's not really my thing" Waver chuckled nervously

"That makes sense" Harry nodded "You look very...what's that word she used?"

Waver leaned in closer, wondering what the word Harry was looking for was.

"Weak?" Waver suggested knowing that was what most people thought of him

"No that's not it" Harry shook his head, then his face brightened "I got it, I remembered"

"Well what is it?" Waver asked "I look very what?"

"Effeminate" Harry replied cheerfully "You look very effeminate"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" Rider's chuckling became a deep bellowing laughter; it could have woken quite a few people up if he wasn't in spirit form.

Waver's face abruptly met the ground, though he did pull himself up after a few seconds but couldn't find anything to say to counter what Harry had said.

"Uh say do you have the time" Harry asked suddenly changing the subject.

"Uh yeah" Waver glanced at his watch "It's just after six thirty"

"Oh man" Harry panicked "I should have been there ten minutes ago she's going to be mad. Do you know where Maison street is?"

"Er...yeah it's just down that way" Waver pointed down the street to the right from the farm.

Harry began running down the direction Waver had pointed.

"Thanks...hey you didn't tell me your name" Harry called out as he stooped

"Its Waver" Waver replied "Waver Velvet"

"Thanks Waver bye bye" Harry ran away and out of sight

Waver glared at Rider who materialised after Harry had left sight.

"Stop laughing Rider it wasn't that funny" Waver said annoyed

"Actually it was" Rider chuckled

Waver sighed, this was going to be a long war.

-  
As Harry left Waver behind and ran down Maison Street Archer came out of spirit form.

"So did you confirm it?" She asked

"Yep, he had the command seals" Harry replied "He's a master alright. Not a very strong one, or brave for that matter."

"Indeed?" she raised an eyebrow "Do I sense a 'but' in that statement?"

"His servant stayed in spirit form, but I got an impression of...how to explain it" Harry looked thoughtful "Whoever it was I could sense that has a presence about him an aura of charisma. I think he might have been a great leader in his life. If he spends enough time with that servant, then Waver could be a good leader, if gets over that timidity that's holding him back and grows a spine."

"Indeed, not a bad observation for a child I suppose" Archer said neutrally as she turned to walk away, her long hair swaying in the wind "Let's go home now, we've done enough scouting for tonight"

Harry sighed, Archer had really high standards, he hoped to impress her one day. At least she wasn't needlessly cruel like the Dursleys were. Every single one of her actions had a purpose even her whims.

"What are you waiting for boy?" Archer yelled "Do wish to be ambushed? Hurry up"

"Sorry" Harry apologised and ran to catch up with her.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Later that night Kirei Kotomine stood overlooking Fuyuki city from a highway near a forest, more specifically he was looking down at the Tohsaka manor. Now occupied by Archer and his new master.

"The church has contacted me" he said aloud "They said the seventh servant, a Caster has finally appeared"

"The final servant has been summoned" Assassin known in life as Hassan-i-Sabbah materialised behind the priest "Then its time"

"Indeed" Kotomine confirmed "You are to leave here now and to head immediately to Tohsaka manor"

Assassin walked towards the edge of the road and looked down at the manor himself. He was already beginning to analyse its defences and possible points of entry.

"And once I arrive?" Assassin asked

"The manor is protected by a number of powerful bounded fields" Kotomine informed the servant of stealth "but they should be child's play for you especially considering Tokiomi's demise"

"I see, so are you targeting the boy in order to avenge your masters death and the theft of Archer?" Assassin asked

"Nothing like that" Kotomine replied "If my information is correct, then that boy is probably the most dangerous master in the war especially considering the identity of his servant. So remember to stick to the plan"

"Oh?" Assassin had an interested tone "And what makes this boy such a threat?"

"According to some information gathering we have performed the boy is a wizard and not a Magus" Kotomine informed "Because of this he can supply Archer with far more Prana than any of the other masters who are all most likely Magus."

"Yes I did hear something like that once" Assassin said recalling a memory that had long past "The Wizards have a larger supply of Prana inside of them than Magus do and the supply recharges quickly when emptied, but in return their spells aren't very powerful and they require foci to actually do their magic. It would take decades of training for one of them to do magic without a wand and even the spells they could do wouldn't be all that impressive"

"He is a child, he probably only now knows of magic because Archer will have told him" Kotomine replied "But he can still supply Archer more Prana than any other Magus in the war can supply their servant with. However he is still just a child and that is a weakness of itself for any servant. So you need not fear Archer too greatly. You know what to do now go."

Assassin jumped off the ledge and landed in the forest. He began speeding towards the manor. As he ran stealthily towards the manner his thoughts drifted to a wizard he once killed while he was still alive.

"Ah memories" Assassin mumbled as he reminisced to himself.

He remembered Balfour Blane. A wizard who established the British Committee on Experimental Charms. A rival of his hired him to assassinate Blane so that the client could have control of Blane's committee. Assassin was paid most handsomely to kill the man not only because the Hassan were known to be the best but because the client who was from the Black family wanted Blane dead very badly.

The sixty three year old Blane had been at home when Assassin paid him a visit. The only defences the fool had over his home were a few muggle repelling charms and a few basic defence wards. So Hassan made his way into Blane's home, after dark and literally strolled in through the front door after taking the repelling charms down.

The arrogant fool had earned himself many enemies when he founded his precious committee. Many of them were wizards that were angry that they had to go to a collection of 'experts' and demonstrate their charm and hand over all notes on it before they were allowed to actually use their charms legally.

A member of the Black family had hired him to kill Blane. The reason was that the Black in question was in a position to control the committee should Blane be unable to perform his duties. The Blacks were very adamant about not being connected to Blane's death, hence hiring a skilled Assassin from a foreign land.

He had found his arrogant fool of a target drinking some tea after only a few seconds of sneaking around the house. So Hassan snuck up on him and slit his throat quickly and quietly. It was so easy that Hassan was almost embarrassed. Almost.

'To think that this wizard is just a child' Assassin thought to himself 'this won't be much of a challenge. After all I have no need to fear Archer, his Masters lack of experience should hold whoever it is back'

When Assassin approached the fence he leapt into the air and flicked a few small spheres which destroyed the rubies that all worked in conjunction to power and sustain several of the bounded fields, causing them to weaken.

Assassin landed in the middle of a patch of flowers, he waded out of them and looked at the front of the manner for a moment before flicking another sphere causing the barrier which protected the final ruby which powered the detection system to become system to become visible.

Several blue translucent revolving rings appeared along with spheres which were floating in mid-air surrounding it. Assassin stepped inside the range of the rings and began gracefully side stepping them as they rotated near him. He stood on one hand and dodged around two of the rings as they rotated near him. Then he flattened himself and edged around one of the spheres. He danced around the rings again; he flattened himself against the ground. He then flicked more of his special spheres around, they impacted against the detection system, and the rings all gained a reddish tint, slowing down.

"This will be easy" Assassin strolled towards the ruby and reached out for it

Suddenly as his hand grasped it was destroyed as a spear nailed the hand to the altar on which the ruby formerly resided. The detection system it had maintained collapsed completely.

"You are nothing but a slimy worm" a female voice sneered.

Assassin looked up and saw Archer. She was a woman that wore golden armour and was glaring down at him; there were dozens of golden ripples in the air just behind her. Each one containing different weapons, swords spears, lances, axes. Every one of them deadly and all aimed directly him. Her waist length blonde hair swayed in the breeze that blew in Fuyuki evening.

"Who gave you permission to look up at me?" Archer demanded

Countless weapons were sent raining down at Assassin who felt fear for the first time in a long time. The weapons exploded as they made contact with the ground.

"No need to fear that? He says" Assassin grimaced cursing Kotomine in his thoughts.

A sword went through Assassins head and several more weapons impaled his body. The mask he wore dropped to the ground damaged. His bloody body was broken with several swords spears sticking in it. His head was twisted around so it was facing the ground.

"You are not worthy to gaze upon me" Archer snorted "A filthy worm like you should face the ground, crawl on your stomach and die"

The King of Heroes glared at the corpse of Assassin for a moment. According to the notes that Tokiomi had concerning the his plans for the Grail War this Assassin whose master was Kirei Kotomine had an Noble Phantasm called Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion that allowed him to split his multiple personalities into individual bodies, each with the power of an Assassin class servant and on top of it each one had the ability to use Presence Concealment.

Tokiomi's strategy had been to let one of these Assassins charge into the Manor and have Gilgamesh to defeat him, thus fooling the other masters into thinking Assassin and his master had been defeated. Then the master would take refuge with the church and Assassin who was now able to act freely with everyone thinking he was dead would act as an intelligence network which would report its findings to Tokiomi.

Undoubtedly this Kotomine had turned the plan to his advantage. He would probably have his Assassins watching all of the masters and servants. Waiting for an appropriate moment to strike out against the enemy, it was entirely possible that Kotomine simply intended to wait out the Grail War until only one enemy servant remained and then planned to strike.

Ultimately it was irrelevant to her, because no mere Assassin would ever get their hands on the Grail, no one was allowed to touch her treasures and get away with it. So Gilgamesh decided to a bit of house cleaning and sent a few swords to kill the familiars of the Magus who were watching the house, after eradicating them all she had set to work creating her own bounded fields around the house. Both to serve as a detection system and to make it impossible to spy inside the house via magecraft. She finished them a while ago and they were of superior quality to the magecraft of this era obviously.

As a precautionary measure she also shut all of the curtains and used furniture to block the windows without curtains. It wouldn't do to have her true master's identity as a child be exposed just yet. A child could have their own uses outside of being a prana supply, after all who would suspect a child of gathering Intel on the master's identity. Possibly even the servants own.

"And for good measure" Gilgamesh mumbled to herself before firing swords at seemingly random spots throughout the bushes and trees and even outside the manor grounds. The last sword skewered a rat that was hidden on the grounds watching the event.

She then strode back inside, her long hair blowing behind her as she went to ensure that the boy was still asleep, he would need to be well rested to prepare for what she had planned for tomorrow.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

As he approached the church Kirei Kotomine smirked to himself.

"Exactly as planned"

He gazed at briefly his three command seals which he had hidden and began preparing for the next phase of his plan, as his father came into view, standing just outside the church waiting for him.


	3. The Opening of Heavens Feel

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Zero or anything in the Nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Harry Potter/Fate Zero fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please, constructive criticism only.**

**Also if there are problems with formatting I apologise in advance. is screwing with the documents that I upload. I'll correct it if it is pointed out to me.  
**

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

"Assassin….was killed?"

Waver Velvet opened his eyes. Just a moment ago, he was spying on the attack that had taken place at the Tohsaka mansion, and his vision now returned to the room he had gotten used to. It was situated on the second floor of the old couple's house, that he was currently living in after hypnotising them into thinking he was their grandson. The image that came into his closed eyes just a while ago came from the vision of a rat familiar which had been killed shortly after Assassin.

With beginning of the Holy Grail War the first step for Waver, was to start observing the Matou and Tohsaka mansions. There was a castle owned by the Einzberns in the forest on the outskirts, but Einzbern master had not arrived yet, so there was no reason to observe an empty place. Nothing from either house had moved yet, and the Masters were probably growing tired of waiting. Some might even be wondering about attacking either the Tohsaka's or the Matou's; that was only wishful thinking to ease the observation, but he didn't expect it to actually happen.

"Hey Rider, this is big news. One of the seven is already out." The giant, despite his Master's call, lay there on the floor and only responded with an "Hmf" devoid of motivation, without even turning around.

"Hey" Waver called was downright irritated. The Servant had been doing nothing but resting his pained muscles in his room—strictly speaking, it was someone else's room—yet Waver could not settle down.

Rider had refused an order to return to spirit form when he was not doing anything, claiming he felt more comfortable in materialized form, and had been showing off his gigantic body all this time. Dragging out his materialization meant a large prana drain on the Master supplying his Servant. That was not a problem for Waver, but still Rider could at least be a bit more reasonable.

Harder to forgive was what Rider was doing with Waver's prana; which was … well, nothing. Despite Waver's scorn, he just rested, relaxed, nonchalantly picking around in a dish and watching a rental video.

"Come don't you get it? Assassin was killed. Rider the Holy Grail War has started!"

"Hmm."

"… Hey!" As Waver's voice rose with excitation, Rider finally turned around halfway.

"Quit your whining, no cares if Assassin is dead or alive. The only thing he's good at is skulking around in the shadows; he could never pose a threat to me"

"…"

"Anyway, boy, here this is what matters." Rider turned back to face the TV as he spoke more heatedly. The video that was being played was called _An Authentic Account of the World's Flying Force, part 2. _With his obsession for military affairs, Rider hadgotten his hand on everything related, books and images alike. Of course, providing all of it was Waver's responsibility. Otherwise the giant Servant would most likely walk into a library or video store and take what he wanted, which was not acceptable with the young Master.

"This, the big black thing that they call a B2. It's wonderful. I'm thinking about buying ten or so. What do you think?" Rider asked as he sat up onto the back of his heels which were stood on his toes.

"For that much money it would be faster to just buy the country outright" Waver answered with a sigh.

"Oh see" Rider made a serious face as he crashed down into a sitting position "So the question is where to procure the money? Were there a major city nearby such as Persepolis we could simply plunder to get what we need"

Apparently, Rider had seriously considered conquering the world, and done his research on the wars of the current era. Even the information he had received from the Grail had limits—he did not know the price of a stealth bomber.

"For the moment I think the biggest obstacle would be this Clinton guy." Rider said motioning to President Clinton who was giving a speech on the TV "He will prove a more formidable opponent than Darius the third."

"Well regardless of all that I think it was a pretty good thing that Assassin was eliminated right off the bat." Waver said "I mean aren't you the type who prefers to face his enemy head on? So its good news for us that the guy who uses sneak attacks and devious tricks to win his battles is out"

Waver was aware that his own Servant, Rider, with his combat abilities, was the type who would go full frontal in a fight. An enemy that planned clever tricks was a bigger threat—Assassin fit that definition. The yet-unknown Caster was also a problem, but an Assassin who could creep up without revealing himself was the most direct menace.

The three main Knight classes—Saber, Lancer, Archer, then Berserker, who just riots his way through are nothing to be afraid of. Rider's abilities and Noble Phantasms were enough to push them back and win. All that was left was to find out Caster's true name, or so Waver thought anyway.

"How was Assassin taken down?" Sitting up cross-legged, Rider surprised Waver with his sudden question.

"… Eh?"

"Tell me, who was it that defeated him. You saw it right?" Waver faltered. He did see assassins defeat but, just what did he see?

"I think it was Tohsaka's Servant. It was brutal, the servants brilliant appearance, the quick attacks. Everything was bright and gold and flashy. It all happened so fast, I couldn't tell what…"

"YOU FOOL" Something exploded between Waver's eyebrows, and he yelled in shock. The unexpected pain and surprise made Waver fall off and tumble flat on his face. That was Rider's middle finger, held bent by the thumb, then shot forward: a flick on the forehead. No strength was put into it, but Rider's finger was hard as the root of a pine tree. Waver's skin swelled red from the force. Again, the target of violence and abuse.

Waver, confused and stuck between fear and fury, was at a loss for words. This was the second time he had been hit in his entire life, and by his Servant. Unable to inhale from anger, Waver moved his lips like a fish. Ignoring his upset Master, Rider drew a deep sigh.

"If I am to fight someone it will be the victor of all the other battles between the servants. Why weren't you paying attention to how he won?"

Waver did not answer. Rider was right however he did not want to hear it from a Servant who did nothing but lie down, eat cookies, watch videos and read. But what he said was true that there were enemies who could pose a problem.

"Oh well it matters not. Did anything else strike you about the flashy gold man or the way he fought the battle?"

"But It was the middle of the night" Waver protested "And it was all over in a second"

He saw Rider preparing to flick him again and covered up his bruised forehead.

"… Hey, Rider. Normally a Servant only has one Noble Phantasm, right?" Waver asked hoping to change the subject

"Yes of course that's the rule." Rider said "But how many isn't the correct way to conceptualise a Noble Phantasm. As I am sure you already know, a Noble Phantasms is the physical manifestation of a Hero's most intelligible or most famous tale. But they do not have to take the form of weapons; sometimes a Noble Phantasm can be a special ability or special method of attack."

"So then, is there a Noble Phantasm that consists of throwing dozens of swords at an opponent?"

"A sword that makes copies of itself, really? Huh. Yes it's possible that still could qualify as a single Noble Phantasm."

"But wait." Waver said "When I saw through the eyes of my familiar, Those swords weren't copies; but rather they were all unique weapons."

'Could they all have been Noble Phantasms? That should not be possible. There were not one or two, but many more blades flooding the crawling Assassin before his death.'

"Ah forget it, we'll just have to discover each of our enemies identities as we encounter them" Rider laughed heartily as he slapped Waver who was deep in thought, on the back. The impact shook his spine and the small magus started choking. The blow this time was not humiliating, but Waver would appreciate a gentler touch.

"Do you really think that would be wise?" Waver coughed out.

"Yes, actually it'll be more fun" Rider grinned "Food, sex, sleep and war. Whatever you do you should always enjoy it to the fullest. That's the secret of life."

"…"

Waver could not see the fun in that; he had no experience in two of those matters.

"All right, let's go see if we can find some invigorating entertainment outside." Cracking his neck muscles, the giant Servant stretched. "We ride forth boy, prepare yourself."

"We ride forth… to where?"

"Well to somewhere. We can go anywhere"

"That's nuts!"

Standing up and nearly reaching the ceiling, Rider looked down at Waver's angry face and smiled.

"Let's face it you can't have been the only one who was watching Tohsaka. This means that news Assassin's death is already known. The others are probably going to spring into action all at once." Rider walked over to the window and peered out between the blinds "But we shall crush each of them as we come across them"

"Go find and crush them all? it won't be that easy."

"I am Rider. And my speed far exceeds that if any other Servant I will face in this war"

With that boast, Rider drew the sword at his waist out of its scabbard. Realizing he was about to call out that Noble Phantasm, Waver stopped him confusedly.

"Wait, wait, wait! You can't do that here. You'll blow up the house!" Waver cried before a thought occurred to him "Rider about Tohsaka's servant I just remembered."

"Hmm, what boy? What is it that you've remembered" Rider asked curiously still holding his sword aloft.

"Tohsaka's servant. It wasn't a man" Waver replied "It was a woman."

Rider began stroking his beard as he began thinking.

"A woman eh?" Rider said finally after a few moments of silence "Well that narrows it down but I can't think of who it could be. I suppose we'll just have to figure out her identity as we encounter her."

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

My servant has been lost" Kotomine said as he stood before his father outside the church "I have forfeited my rights as a master and cannot continue the Holy Grail War. In accordance with the treaty I Kirei Kotomine ask that the church grant me sanctuary"

"Request granted" Risei replied "In my role as overseer of this war, I Risei Kotomine guarantee your safety here. Enter in peace"

After the father and son entered the church and sealed the door behind them they walked up to the altar where they spoke.

"Father isn't this church being watched?" Kirei asked

"No" Risei replied "This holy place has been declared a neutral sanctuary. The holy church will censure any master who dares to defy the decree."

"Then you're sure it's safe here?" Kirei questioned

Risei nodded in response and Kirei turned to look at the air.

"But still you should keep watch just in case." Kirei said "Post a guard here at all times"

"Yes, understood" a female Assassin said as she materialised

"Tell me who was observing the battle?" Kirei asked of his servant

"Before the battle I detected the presence of familiars from four separate masters" the female Assassin reported

"Two days ago I was able to confirm the summoning of the final servant. Caster" Risei said "All of the Holy Grail Wars servants should have now arrived and the fighting will begin shortly."

"One unaccounted for" Kirei said with disappointment "I had hoped that all the masters would be watching and taking note of the encounter."

"At this course in the war watching the three families estates would be a masters obvious course of action" another Assassin materialised in the aisle

"That's right" Another sitting in a pew continued "and if they can't even think to do that it would never even begin to occur to them to worry about the existence of us Assassins"

"We spirits of the shadows shall sneak up behind those masters who believe us to be dead" yet another appeared in the aisle

"We shall sneak up behind them" many of the other assassins began materialising in different locations in the church "And this time we shall become true shadows in the darkness"

"The battle for the Grail is now at hand" Risei announced "At last it is time for the Fourth Holy Grail War to begin. These tired old eyes of mine will finally see a wondrous miracle be performed"

"Father something confuses me" Kirei said

"And what is that?" Risei asked

"Tohsaka is dead, so why are we still competing in the Grail war?" Kirei asked

"The church has given new orders in light of Tokiomi's demise" Risei replied "We are to accomplish one of two things. Either win the Grail and bring it back to the Holy Church or make sure that no other unscrupulous mage gets it"

"Do we have news concerning the boy who Archer has allied herself with?" Kirei queried

"Yes and it's not good" Risei answered gravely "The boy is Harry Potter"

"That name sounds familiar"

"It should" Risei said "He's known as the one who brought down Lord Voldemort. The wizard who began terrorized Britain and a large portion of Europe from nineteen seventy up until six years ago when he was destroyed by Harry Potter."

"Ah now I remember" Kirei said "I heard the story but didn't believe it. How could a mere one year old baby destroy a wizard, who by reports managed to kill several highly trained Magus Association Enforcers alone?"

"That's the part where things get especially odd. You've heard of the wizards 'Killing Curse' I take it?" Risei watched his son nod "Well if the information is correct then Voldemort after killing the parents tried to use it on the boy himself, but for some reason it rebounded and blew him up along with the house. Leaving the boy with only a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. You now know why this is a delicate situation with all these Mages involved and at least two of them are from the Clock Tower"

"I was under the impression that the killing curse couldn't be stopped or blocked with the exception of physical barriers and even that isn't a guarantee. The obvious exceptions being Noble Phantasms of course."

"To this day the means of Harry Potter's survival remains a total mystery" Risei explained "There have been many theories but nothing has been proven so far. If it gets out that the survivor of the killing curse is here you can bet that the Magus Association will descend on the city like vultures. They wouldn't even think twice about vivisecting a child to try and learn the secret of surviving that curse"

"That could potentially lead to a war between Wizards and Magus." Kirei said "Which in turn would put the secret of magic in danger of exposure."

"And the Holy Church would inevitably be dragged into it" Risei said "After all relations between the wizards and magus have been ice cold for centuries."

It was true for whatever reason Wizards and Magus had never gotten along well. The relationship between the two was like the relationship between the US and the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. There were rumors that Albus Dumbledore and Zelretch were friends despite the relations between their respective magic branches though no one had ever managed to get information that confirmed or denied that rumor.

Whenever Zelretch was questioned about it (or whenever some stuck up Magus was stupid enough to demand why the Kaleidoscope would associate with a 'wizard' of all things) he simply burst out laughing like a madman. As for Dumbledore whenever he was posed the same question by his own people he often went off into long winded talks about inane subjects that ended up with people forgetting what they'd asked him about in the first place. As such people had long given up trying to figure that one out.

"Keep a close eye on the other masters" Kirei ordered the Assassins "And if it seems like they have come to realise who the boy truly is and his value. Then do not hesitate to eliminate them at once"

"Understood" the Assassins said as one.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Kiritsugu Emiya strode across the lobby and walked into the elevator, taking it to the seventh floor. Here, in room 703, was where his loyal subordinate had been staying for the past three days.

He knocked a pre-arranged rhythm on the door of room 703, and it opened immediately, as though expecting him. Glancing at each other in lieu of unnecessary greetings, Kiritsugu entered the room and Maiya closed the door. He then walked straight over and began examining the weapons on the bed.

In the world of magi, his relation with Maiya Hisau would be that of teacher and student. What he taught Maiya was merely a _way _to fight. This, too, was only for the purpose of using her as a tool. Having fought at his side, Maiya knew the blood-stained side of Kiritsugu that his wife had never seen.

After Kiritsugu left, she arranged the preparations for the Grail War according to his instructions given from overseas, and had been busy returning to the Einzberns castle many times.

Attractive and fair-skinned, she was a beauty who used neither eye-liner nor lipstick. Her long eyes and gaze always seemed to be scrutinizing suspiciously, but she left an impression of deliberate indifference. Her jet black hair, straight like silk, caught the glance of many men, but her cold, sharp look definitely dashed the hopes of any lady-killer. She was a woman who constantly gauged reality, and could sometimes deliver accurate judgment more mercilessly than Kiritsugu. With her, Kiritsugu did not have to be ashamed of his foul plays or detest his cruelty. This put him somewhat at ease.

"The equipment you requested arrived a little while ago" Maiya started by jumping straight to the point. "Madame Irisviel and Saber have arrived in Fuyuki as well. All the other masters will likely assume that she is Sabers Master and act accordingly"

"Understood."

"There was an incident last night at the Tohsaka estate last night."

Maiya switched the decoder of the television. In addition to the magecraft Kiritsugu had taught her, Maiya was particularly able in the management of regular familiars, and Kiritsugu often entrusted her with scouting or reconnaissance missions. This time again, Kiritsugu has assigned to her the surveillance of the Matou and Tohsaka mansions.

Of all the familiars, Maiya prided herself on her bat familiars, but unlike those of other magi, her bats had a miniature CCD camera tied on the abdomen. Video records were helpful for reviewing, so despite slowing down the familiar, the use of cameras was a viable solution. The entire scene of the previous night was replayed on the 13 inch CRT.

The blurred image was clear enough for one to understand the whole incident. Kiritsugu watched the skull-masked Servant's failure to escape annihilation at the hands of the golden Servant. The defeated Servant with the white mask was, without doubt, Assassin.

"What's your analysis of this?"

"It seems too good to be true" Maiya replied immediately. "There seems to be insufficient time between Assassin's infiltration and the Tohsaka Servants attack. Assassin has the Presence Concealment skill, making it improbable that he was detected in advance. It was my initial opinion that Tohsaka was expecting an intruder"

Kiritsugu looked at her questioningly.

"But something changed your mind."

"Yes, after Assassin was dealt with Tohsaka attempted to re-erect his bounded fields after Assassin took them down. In addition the windows, doors and any other ways to see into the manor were blocked up preventing anyone from seeing inside." Maiya continued "A few hours later the bounded fields quickly collapsed and not long after that a barrier like none I've ever seen surrounded the manor. Not only does it deny entry even to familiars but if you look away even for a split second, you lose any memory of anything you've seen inside the barrier. The manor included, if you didn't know the manor existed then you wouldn't remember it after that barrier was erected. Ever since that attack no one has been seen entering or leaving that manor at all. I'd say that after the attack Tohsaka panicked for some reason, which doesn't make any sense if he knew the attack was coming."

Kiritsugu thought deeply for a second. This threw things into confusion, if Tohsaka knew what was happening then why would he panic. Why put his estate into lock down? And where did that barrier come from? He'd never heard of anything like it.

"Tell me, what became of Assassin's Master?"

"He took refuge in the Church last night. The overseer declared him to be under his protection. His name is Kirei Kotomine"

Hearing that name, Kiritsugu's eye lit with a cold ghastliness.

"Maiya, send a familiar to the Fuyuki Church."

"Are you certain of that? Masters are forbidden to take action inside the neutral zone. That's been established around the church."

"Place it just far enough away. So that the priest won't spot it"

Maiya frowned at Kiritsugu's incomprehensible instructions.

"Very well"

Maiya could not understand what Kiritsugu had in mind, but she did not question him. At once, she picked one of the three bats observing the Tohsaka mansion and willed it by thought to go to the Fuyuki Church. Kiritsugu switched off the CRT and resumed inspecting the equipment Maiya had prepared Among the various tools lined up on the bed sheet awaiting Kiritsugu's inspection,

All of them were state of the-art and highly effective, conventional weapons; nothing that could store prana. This combined with what he did was what earned the magus Emiya Kiritsugu the nickname of "Magus Killer." The weakness of magi was negligence arising from arrogance. They believed in their own mysteries and knowledge; they never questioned the belief that the only threat to them aside from God could be anything other than another magus. In battle, they were sensitive only to signs of magecraft; they were able to detect the use of any trivial skill.

Having discovered that the operation of Magic Circuits affected the practitioner's temperature, Kiritsugu studied and trained so much that he was now able to read the magus's Magic Circuits through the thermal output by observing the heat distribution.

The distinct difference in heat signature between an ordinary person and a magus allowed him to seize an opportunity right after the release of prana. The joint use of both bulky night vision devices was not just for night-time battle, it was a specifically anti-magus configuration.

Kiritsugu picked up the heavyweight-class super sniper rifle from the bed and looked through the scope.

"There is no correction up to five hundred meters. Do you want to check it?"

"No. It's fine."

The Grail War hostilities had already started; he might have to use the gun this very night.

The other rifle, prepared in addition to the Sniper Rifle, was for Maiya's role as vanguard scout—a Steyr AUG A1 assault gun. Like Kiritsugu's rifle, its night vision scope had also been replaced. Furthermore, a Calico M950 sub-machine gun was readied as a reserve sidearm. The rest of the arsenal included personal hand grenades, stun grenades, smoke grenades, and C4 plastic explosives. Following instructions Kiritsugu had sent from the North, Maiya prepared the equipment without missing a thing, but Kiritsugu's expressionless eyes did not look satisfied yet.

"The item I left you, where is it?"

"Right here."

Maiya reverently pulled a rosewood case from the bottom of the closet with both hands, further stiffening her beautiful, unsmiling face. Taking the case, Kiritsugu placed it on the side table, unfastened the clasps and expertly opened the lid. Inside it lay Kiritsugu Emiya's Mystic Code, a weapon through which a magus could use magecraft in battle, the Thompson Center's Contender.

The Contender was a single shot pistol with a break open cartridge chamber. This gun was essentially a pistol for target-shooting sport, but Kiritsugu's gun barrel had been switched to meet high-caliber hunting specifications. Furthermore, it had been magically modified for use with magic bullets. Special bullets were installed along with the gun in the case. In the core of the twelve remaining shots were sealed powdered bones from Kiritsugu himself. When Kiritsugu's prana was fired, these magical bullets forced into the target the essence of the magus Kiritsugu. So to speak, one could consider it an imitation of a Conceptual Weapon.

Technology became the blind spot of magi who stuck to magecraft. Ultimately, this was only a tendency, and the converse is not generally true. Indeed, a lot of magi in the world could be defeated by means of a night vision and a heat sensor scope.

Kiritsugu picked the Contender up from the case. In the past, the walnut gun had absorbed the perspiration of Kiritsugu's hand countless times, and even after nine years, it still fit his hand and fingers perfectly.

With a cautious pull on the spool with his index finger, the chamber lock was released, collapsing soundly a short while after. Sliding a bullet from the same case into the opened chamber, he closed the barrel again with a snap of his wrist. Picking another bullet from the case, he repeated the reloading process that had dyed his hands. Pulling the rim of the exposed cartridge from the opened chamber with his fingertips, he slid in a second bullet, and immediately slammed the gun barrel shut. It took him two seconds. Distracting thoughts dulled his manipulations.

"Approximately two seconds, I'm surprised"

"Indeed" Maiya nodded without consideration to Kiritsugu, who was murmuring in self-derision. She knew the old skills of her partner. Kiritsugu pulled the bullet he had loaded in the gun, picked up the other one he had dropped on the floor, and placed everything back in the case with the Contender.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

_Harry found that was standing at the top of the temple of Uruk and was blocking the path of the tyrannical priest king...that looked like Archer?! But why was she here? Everything seemed out-of-focus and vague._

**'Where am I? Why is Archer standing there glaring at me? I've never heard of Uruk before.'**

_"You dare to block my way?" Archer with fury in her tone and anger burning in her crimson eyes "Stand aside I am king and the woman is mine to do with as I see fit"_

_"I will not let you pass Gilgamesh" words came out Harry's mouth in a voice that sounded familiar for some reason but Harry knew that he had never heard the voice before "What gives you the right to sleep with the bride before her husband does?"_

_"It is the law" Archer said imperiously "My law which I set down as the rightful king"_

_"Whether you are a King or a beggar I will not allow your arrogance to go unpunished" Harry found himself speaking again._

**'What? why would I say that?'**

_"Fool" she was definitely angry now. Harry knew he should have felt frightened but he was not, for some reason he felt that he could fight Archer and win "You shall suffer for daring to stand in my way, mongrel"_

_With that Archer lunged for Harry and tackled him. Harry and Archer began wrestling each other down the stairs of the Ziggurat and eventually landed in the street. The city began shaking as the fight between 'himself' and Archer became more intense._

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Harry snapped awake and shot up into a sitting position. He knew he had been dreaming but for some reason all memory of it had instantly slipped away. Attempting to remember it was like trying to grasp an eel with a wet hand. Within even the tiniest sliver of memory of the dream was gone, but even so Harry knew it was significant.

The doors to the bedroom he was in opened and Archer strode in. She was complaining to herself something about 'mongrels' and their useless bounded fields interfering with her own perfect fields, and forcing her to use one of her treasures to create a barrier.

Archer's waist length golden hair swayed in the light of the rising sun as she stopping and looked at him with her piercing crimson eyes.

"Boy get dressed" she ordered "It's time for you to get some stealth training."

"Stealth training?" Harry blinked at the golden servant wondering what she meant.

"Yes, when you go scouting you must learn to be stealth and remain unseen." Archer explained "After all what use is learning the identity of the mongrels who dare to try and take my Grail, if you die after learning the information?"

"So you're going to teach me to not be caught?" Harry asked

"Correct" Archer nodded "I will teach you some techniques for remaining unseen that even you should be able to pick up"

Harry nodded in understanding, enemy servants would not hesitate to kill him if they found out he was a master, especially Assassin. Killing enemy masters was what that class specialised in after all rather than direct confrontations with other servants. He looked and saw several weapons mostly spears pointed at him from Archers Gate.

"After you have learned what I have taught we will put it into practice." Archer clarified "I will put a book at the other end of the mansion and you must retrieve it and return here without me catching you, if you fail then…."

*Thunk*

A spear lodged itself in into the wall near Harry's head, causing him to gulp nervously.

"….I will not hesitate to use one of those on you" she finished "But worry not, my aim like everything else about me is perfect. So I won't hit anything you vitally need, but it will hurt a lot. So I suggest you learn fast am I clear?"

"Yes your majesty" Harry nodded quickly.

"Good now get dressed and we'll begin" Archer ordered and she turned to leave the room.

Harry got out of the bed and began getting dressed, all thoughts of the dream that he failed to recall forgotten.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Several hours later the sun had set and Harry sat leaning against a wall catching his breath. If there was one thing he'd learnt besides Archer's way of being stealthy it was that his servant was a merciless teacher. She accepted nothing less than perfection from him; and the slightest mistake like a slight creak of a floorboard, was rewarded with a spear from the Gate of Babylon.

As promised none of the blows were fatal but to say they hurt a lot was a massive understatement. Harry could still feel the phantom pain from several of the hits he'd received for failing to bring the book back to the bedroom, he'd been getting closer every time. He'd even managed to make it up the stairs but Archer had still caught him and cut him across the back of the leg.

Of course whenever he was caught she forced him to drink something called Phoenix Tears which healed his injuries instantly; however it also meant he had to start all over again. They'd repeated this for hours and hours pausing for lunch and the occasional break.

Now Archer was staring out of the window of the study, she was staring in a particular direction.

"It seems we will get to put what you have learnt into practice boy." Archer said finally after a moments of silence.

"What do you mean your majesty?" Harry asked sure to be polite, Archer hated being referred to as an equal or worse as thought she was inferior to someone else by anyone.

"Some mongrel of a servant is at the docks, practically announcing their presence." Archer explained with annoyance "You will go to the docks and spy on them. See if you can learn anything about them. Their Noble Phantasms, their appearance. I'll be slightly impressed if you can learn their identity but I don't expect that much from you. If you can leave the docks without being caught then I'll consider your progress to be acceptable. Get back to the manor and we'll go the next stage of your training, understand?"

"Yes your majesty." Harry nodded with determination.


	4. Battle at the Docks

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Zero or anything in the Nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Harry Potter/Fate Zero fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please, constructive criticism only.**

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Upon receiving Irisviel's signal Kiritsugu and Maiya raced in the direction of the factories. They were welcomed by a stretch of silence. There was only the howling of the sea wind in their ears, and an atmosphere as quiet and stagnant as a graveyard. The night was very serene.

By the traces of surrounding prana alone, Kiritsugu was able to accurately judge the situation. Someone had formed a barrier; likely the work of the enemy Master. The goal was to segregate ordinary humans from the Grail War, concealing the true battlefield of the war. It was a compulsory rule to prevent magic activities being exposed to ordinary humans.

"It's started." Kiritsugu observed "Someone has put up a bounded field, probably the master of the enemy servant."

Kiritsugu began to think as he cradled over ten kilograms of heavy sniper rifle in his arms. He had already estimated Irisviel's position from the transmitters signal. However, the question of how to approach the location remained, and he had little idea where to observe once they reached it.

He had no thought of joining the battle at all. He would inspect the battle at a suitable place, attacking with the rifle only when necessary. Servants were not humans; only a Servant could wound another Servant. No matter how powerful their firearms were, they would not work on Servants. It was Sabers job to battle the opposing Servant. As long as the enemy devoted himself to the battle and did not pay attention to his Master, it was possible to win this fight.

"From up on that crane it would be possible; to survey the whole battlefield." Maiya stated as she pointed in front of them, at a derrick crane towering into the night.

The control cabin hovered about thirty meters above the ground. It would be the most optimal observation point around if one managed to climb up there silently. Kiritsugu had no objections to Maiya's suggestion, but he shook his head.

"Indeed, that certainly is the best vantage point. Someone else is probably thinking the same thing." Maiya understood his intentions without another word as usual. "Alright, you circle around into the eastern wharf. I'll go the other way and take the west. You and I need to find an observation point that allows us to safely monitor both Sabers battle and that crane. Go it?"

"Yes understood."

Maiya disappeared into the shadows of the factories with a jog, holding the assault gun in her hands. Kiritsugu checked the transmitter as he cautiously moved in the opposite direction.

Kiritsugu sighed soundlessly, lowered the bipod of the Walther, and continued calmly observing the scene through the scope. Since he had decided to abandon this opportunity, Saber's effort tonight was as good as wasted. If she could refrain from showing her Noble Phantasm or escaping immediately with Irisviel, he would have to extend his thanks to her.

But she was a haughty and proud Heroic Spirit, and such possibilities were only his conjectures. But it would not be a bad idea to see, just once, how capable his subordinate really is.

"Now then let's see what you can do, my adorable King of Knights."

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Harry held in a squeak of surprise as one of the large containers at the docks collapsed nearby. The young master was hidden in between a few undamaged crates a little ways away. Concealed from view but close enough to hear what the servants were saying. One was Saber the other was clearly a Lancer.

He had arrived a few minutes ago under Archer's orders and had concealed his presence so that he would not be spotted by anyone. He was close enough to be able to not only see what was going on, but to also listen in what the servants were saying.

Archer had said that information was power in this war and the slightest word could give something extremely important away, and if such a thing happened then Harry was determined to catch it and report it to the golden servant. After all this was the first step to getting the Grail and saving Yume's life.

As for Archer herself, she was observing the battle from a ways away and was determined to test Harry on what he had learned from her stealth training regimen.

Saber had a blue battle armoured battle dress, as well as green eyes and blonde hair and was holding an invisible sword. While Lancer had quirky long hair combed backward in a rough fashion. He was wearing a dark teal outfit, he had not one but two spears one yellow the other red, but the red one was longer.

The battle between Saber and Lancer had not yet progressed beyond competition. Though they started out measuring each other's power thoroughly in a preliminary test, it was now beginning to look more like a display of strength. Of course, even if only a test, the ones engaged in this display were Servants. The dock avenue was wrecked from all the scars carved into it. Two storehouses had already collapsed, and a hundred square meters of asphalt had been torn up.

The whole place had been turned into a battlefield, the area looked like a tornado had come and gone. In the midst of that disaster zone still without a single scratch, Saber and Lancer glared at each other, each preparing their next move. Neither showed any sign of exhaustion. But this was to be expected after all the power of servants was far beyond that of normal humans.

"There is really no honour in a battle fought without an exchange of names" Lancer said "But allow me to offer my regards. It's impressive for a woman to fight so hard, without even breaking a sweat as she does it."

"You need not be so humble Lancer" Saber replied "Those words from such a master of the spear do me honour. I gratefully accept them."

"That's enough fun for now Lancer" a voice echoed throughout the docks, Harry could just about make someone out standing on top of a nearby rooftop, he had to be Lancers master.

Apparently the strange looking woman with red eyes and silver hair had the same train of thought and looked around, but unlike Harry she couldn't spot Lancers master.

"Lancer's master?" she tried to see where he was hidden.

"Do not allow this battle to go on. Saber is a formidable opponent" The man continued "Eliminate her at once, you may use your Noble Phantasm"

"As you command" Lancer said dutifully "I will comply"

'This is it' Harry thought to himself 'If I can get his identity Archer should be really pleased, or as pleased she gets anyway.'

Lancer dropped the short spear and placed both hands on the long spear, which removed the cloth that concealed, with a ripple of a rainbow of colours.

"You heard the command" Lancer said stoutly readying his spear "The time has come, for me to kill you. Saber, are you using Focused wind Mana to keep your blade concealed?"

Instead of answering him, Saber gained a surprised look on her face. Apparently Lancer had hit the mark.

"I see" Lancer nodded "I'll wager that you have a very good reason, to conceal your sword from me. I think that the sword reveals your true name"

"How unfortunate for you" Saber replied getting into a ready stance "You'll never know the true name of my blade. I'll finish this before you get the chance."

" We shall see about that" Lancer walked towards Saber "I will discover whatever it is your hiding Saber"

Lancer leapt forwards at Saber, their weapons collided and a tornado formed. Harry could just about make out a sword with a royal blue handle and golden grip in Sabers hands before Lancer backed off and the wind died down.

"You've exposed your sword to me" Lancer grinned cheekily.

"The invisible air is...coming apart" Saber said with shock.

Lancer sped and stabbed at her feet only for Saber jump back and dodge the attack. He remained on the offensive, stabbing at her quickly one strike after another. When they failed to connected he strike sweeping attacks, Saber dodged and by bending backwards and allowing the spear to slice some of her hair away.

She rolled and deflected another attack using her sword, she did this a few more times and when Lancer struck again his spear and Sabers sword clashed causing it to become visible when the red spear made contact.

Saber broke the clash with a burst of force and the two servants were forced apart. Lancer ran and lunged at her, she ran up a crate which he swiped with his spear damaging it. Saber jumped and landed behind him. He twirled the spear around in his hands a few times before facing her.

"I've figured out the length of your blade now" lancer grinned "So I need not worry about being struck by you anymore"

Lancer lunged again striking again and again at Saber who was now on the defensive with her sword. Saber closed her eyes for a second before opening them again. She focused on Lancer, who lunged at her, when they were close it looked like her armour had blocked the spear, only for blood to spurt out of her side. But her armour wasn't damaged.

"Saber" The silver haired woman said worriedly, she glowed green for a second as did Sabers wound.

"My thanks Irisviel, the healing is working" Saber said getting back into a fighting stance.

'Wait that lady' Harry looked closer at her hands before his eyes widened 'She doesn't have command seals. Either they're on another part of her body or more likely she's not Sabers real master. That means her real master is probably hiding nearby.'

Harry was sure to conceal himself a bit more before focusing on the battle. But he was sure to keep a look out on the roofs for anyone looking over the battle eventually he managed to spot Assassin, who had clearly survived Archer killing him. He was perched on a crane and was surveying the battlefield that skull mask of his gave Harry a very bad feeling. Like a memory he didn't want to remember. He shook the feeling away and focused back on the battle, pushing the thoughts of skull masks to the back of his mind.

"I see" Lancer with slight excitement "So this won't be an easy victory after all"

"So that's it." Saber declared "I know the secret of your spear Lancer"

"Oh?" Lancer was intrigued.

"That red spear of yours" Saber explained "Is able to negate magic"

'A magic negating spear' Harry thought 'that's a big clue to who he is. Archer will know who he is for sure'

"So your armour was created using magic huh?" Lancer replied "Well if you're counting on it to protect you. You should surrender now Saber, you're as good as naked before my spear"

"Don't think that simply defeating my armour will give you the upper hand in this fight" Saber warned and removed the armour leaving only her blue dress "If I cannot block your blade, I need only kill you before it strikes. Prepare to die Lancer."

"A bold move" Lancer said impressed "You're betting everything on a single strike. You're attempting to overcome the disadvantages of your broken armour with the advantages you gained by abandoning it, excellent a courageous decision. I like it, it's audacious and bold. But in this case I'm afraid it was a very foolish mistake Saber"

"We shall see" Saber retorted and began slowly moving towards Lancer not taking her eyes off of him "You can tell me your opinion again, after your next attack"

Saber burst towards Lancer. Her sword appeared again emanated a golden light.

'No way her sword could it really be?' Harry thought to himself 'The sword that I think it is?'

Saber zoomed towards Lancer who stepped back and kicked up his second short spear which revealed itself to be golden. He kicked it up and grabbed it slicing Sabers left forearm with it causing her to skid along the ground. She stood up shakily. Lancer had struck her left arm and it looked like she was having trouble moving it, not that he had gotten away unscathed. His left forearm had been struck as well.  
[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

"Damn it. This is, extremely bad." Rider said with irritation as he stood on the arch of the Fuyuki Bridge and overlooking the battle taking place in the warehouse district of docks, standing up.

"Wh-what is?" Seeing the giant Servant irritated for the first time, Waver became agitated and questioned Rider while clinging to the steel frame.

"Lancer has begun his ultimate attack. It seems he intends to end the battle here and now" Rider answered with annoyance.

"W-well wouldn't that be a lot better for us?" Waver asked nervously.

"You idiot, what are you talking about?" Rider stomped his heel heavily on the steel frame he was standing on. The tremor shook Waver, his body plastered to the frame, to his very bones, and another shriek rose from his throat "I wanted to sit back and watch the battle until a few more masters arrived and decided to fight, but judging by the way things are going now, Saber may just fall and then it would be too late to attack by then."

"Too late?" Wavers nerves were in overdrive "I thought you wanted wait a few battles then strike when they have all become exhausted from fighting each other?"

"… I think you misunderstood my intentions, boy." Rider furrowed his brows and tilted his head to look at the Master lying beside his feet, disappointed by the performance of the humourless clown.

"I have to admit I that I had really hoped that at least one other Servant would have been sent out to answer Lancer's challenge. Isn't it obvious? Rather than picking them out one by one, it's much faster to get them all together and have a great battle royal! Rather than to tediously seek them out one by one."

Waver forgot to answer; his realization of the difference in their understanding shocked him out of his wits. "Get them all together … A great battle royal?"

"Indeed. Rarely does one have the extraordinary opportunity to cross blades with great heroes from another time and place. With a chance to face all six of them I'd hate to miss out on a single one." A fierce and dangerous growl rumbled from Rider's throat, but there was a tint of laughter as he curled the ends of his lips upwards. Waver realized that only this man could wear a grin like that. "Now then. Just observe Saber and Lancer—both of them are strong valiant warriors whom I would dearly love to face in an all-out battle. I admire them; and thus I cannot simply let either one of them die like this."

"What else is there to it apart from killing them?! Isn't that the point of the Holy Grail—Waaa—!"

Waver's slightly hysterical voice was mercilessly interrupted by a smack to his forehead.

"To win but never to destroy, to subjugate but never to humiliate. That is a truly good and honourable conquest!" Rider proclaimed with his chest held upright.

He unsheathed the sword by his waist and sliced through the hollow sky with a swing, cleaving apart the empty space. An enormous shining Noble Phantasm immediately appeared, accompanied by spiralling torrents of lightning. Waver, feeling like he was about to be blown over by the sudden storm, swallowed his screams and hugged the steel frame even tighter.

"Now we shall watch no longer instead we shall join the fray. Let us go boy." Before he finished those words, Rider, his mantle flowing, had mounted the Noble Phantasm with a leap.

"You stupid idiot" Waver yelled hysterically as lightning continued to dance about the bridge's frame "What you're doing is totally insane!"

"Oh? If you don't really don't approve, then why don't you just stay up here and observe."

"No I'll go! Take with you damn it" Waver said cursing his servant mentally.

"Good, that's more like my Master!" Rider, laughing brightly, lifted Waver by the collar gently and let him ride beside himself. "Now roll on, Gordius Wheel, Wheel of Heaven's Authority!"

The Noble Phantasm answered the call of the King of Conquerors with a thunderous tremor and took off into the night.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

"Good counter" he complimented "You aren't going to make this easy for me are you? But I like your indomitable spirit"

"Stop talking and get to work you fool" Lancers master ordered with annoyance "Finish her what are you waiting for?"

The cut on Lancers arm glowed green before it sealed up, completely healed.

"My master, much appreciated" Lancer thanked his master while shooting Saber a smug grin.

"Irisviel I require healing" Saber called out.

"But I've already done it. The healing..." Irisviel was panicked "Saber you should already be fully healed. I don't understand"

"It was very sharp of you to figure out that my Gae Dearg can penetrate any armour" Lancer rested the spear on his shoulder and kicked his yellow spear back into his waiting hand "But it was foolish to abandon it. Had you not done so my Gae Buidhe would not have done so"

"I see so you wield a cursed spear" Saber observed "One that inflicts wounds that can never be healed. I should have realised it sooner a red spear that destroys magic. A cursed yellow spear and beneath the right eye a mole that enchants women. First of the knights of Fianna. Diarmuid of the Love Spot."

"Such is the sublime pleasure of the Holy Grail War" Lancer Replied "But it's I who has the distinct honour here. No hero summoned in the service of the Holy Grail could ever mistake that Golden Blade. To face the legendary King of Knights in battle and land even a glancing blow is extraordinary. I must not be too bad"

'Alright, so Lancer has two Noble Phantasms' Harry thought to himself 'They're called Gae Dearg and Gae Buidhe. Gae Dearg can penetrate any armour while Gae Buidhe gives wounds that can't ever be healed. Lancer is Diarmuid of the Love spot and judging from that golden sword she wields and what lancer said Saber is the King of Knights, King Arthur. Archer should be pleased or as pleased as she gets anyway'

"Now then since we know each other's names" Lancer continued "We can finally conduct our duel honourably as Knights should or does this displease you occurring only after you have lost the use of an arm?"

"You jest" Saber donned her armour again and used only her right hand to wield her sword "It is humiliating that you would show concern over a scratch"

"Prepare yourself Saber this time you're mine" Lancer was still confident and ready to fight again.

"Only if I fail to land the first deceive strike Lancer" Saber replied with just as much confidence as her opponent.

Suddenly lightning struck between the two forcing Harry to close his eyes as an oxen driven chariot descended to the ground between the combatants. Inside the chariot was a tall man standing over two meters in height. He had large muscles that gave the impression of that he would be able to kill a bear with just his hands. He had sternly chiselled features with eyes that give off a dazzling glow; he had burning red hair and a beard. He also wore bronze arm or with cuffs and greaves with fringes that leaves his arms and thighs unprotected. He wore a thick mantle, with fringes like his cuffs, dyed in a similar red to his hair. It is luxuriously decorated, and looked almost like a curtain wrapping the stage of a theatre.

"Both of you sheath your blades" he ordered loudly "For I am a king. I am Iskander King of Conquerors. In this battle for the Holy Grail I am of the Rider class of servants."

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

**Here are the Servant stats so far only Noble Phantasms seen shall be displayed, even though those who are familiar with Fate Zero already know the servant identities I just felt like doing this.**

**Class: **Saber

**True Name**: King Arthur

**Alignment: **Lawful Good

**Stats **

Strength: B.

Endurance: A

Agility: A

Luck: D

Magic: A

**Class Skills**:

Magic Resistance (A): Cancel spells of _A-Rank _or below. It is difficult for Saber to be affected even by High Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.

Riding (B): Almost all vehicles and mundane animals can be handled with consummate skill. Manoeuvres that should be borderline impossible can be performed with some effort.

**Personal Skills**:

Charisma (B): A rank worthy of a king of a nation.

Instinct (A): Refined sixth sense is now close to true precognition. Bonus effect of reducing by half the penalties caused by obstructed vision and hearing.

Prana Burst: (A): Increases attack power to the point where a normal weapon that is not on the level of a Divine Mystery can be destroyed in one solid blow. Prana expenditure is very efficient, and Saber can maintain a high level of performance even throughout prolonged battles.

**Noble Phantasms**

**Invisible Air**  
Rank: C  
Type: Anti-Unit  
Range: 1~2  
Maximum Targets: 1 Object

A barrier that renders the blade hidden by entangling it with layers of wind, and altering the light refraction rate. It is closer to sorcery than a Noble Phantasm. By using this barrier, Altria can attack without the opponent recognizing the sword's reach and trajectory. Since concealing one's Noble Phantasm also conceals one's true identity, Invisible Air was highly effective at the early stages of the Holy Grail War. It also has other advantages such as increasing attack power and accuracy. Entangling the sword with wind and using the wind as the blade enhances the attack power, while having an "invisible weapon" provides an advantage in accuracy. (Since the advantage of Invisible Air lies in "invisibility", the accuracy increase will not occur while engaging opponents who possess Eye of the Mind or do not depend on vision.

**Class**: Lancer  
**True Name**: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne  
**Alignment: **Lawful Neutral

**Stats**

Strength: B  
Endurance: C  
Agility: A+  
Mana: D  
Luck: E

**Class Skills**  
Magic Resistance (B): Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by _High-Thaumaturgy_ and _Greater Rituals_, it is difficult for him to be affected.

**Personal Skills**

Eye of the Mind (True) (B): Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

Mystic Face (C): Effects are similar to those of Charm-type Mystic Eyes.

'**Noble Phantasm**

**Gae Buidhe**  
Rank: B  
Type: Anti-Unit  
Range: 2-3  
Maximum number of targets: 1

Unlike most other Noble Phantasms, the abilities of the spear are passive in nature. It does not require its name to be called upon in order to be utilized, allowing it to instantly actualize its curse of mortality upon striking the enemy. The spear lowers the opponent's maximum health limit, thus limiting healing and regeneration abilities to the point where the opponent received the injury. The effect cannot be dispelled, and cancelling the curse requires the destruction of the spear or the death of its owner

**Gae Dearg**

Rank: B  
Type: Anti-Unit  
Range: 2-4  
Maximum number of targets: 1

Gae Dearg is a two meter long spear that renders magical enhancements and projections useless by severing all ties with prana. It was passed down to Diarmuid Ua Duibhne from his father, and he normally keeps it wrapped in a talisman cloth to seal its abilities and keep it from revealing his identity. Unlike most other Noble Phantasms, the abilities of the spear are passive in nature. It does not require its name to be called upon in order to be utilized, allowing it to instantly affect whatever it strikes

The spear will pierce directly through any projection made of prana, such as summoned armour, bounded fields, such as Invisible Air, will have small fissures created that slowly chip away at them with each strike, any weapon that is magically enhanced, such as those enhanced by Knight of Honour, will have its enhancements and ability boosts rendered useless when struck by the spear, and any item that acts as a prana source, such as Prelati's Spellbook, will have all connections severed to its recipients.

**Class: **Archer

**True Name**: Gilgamesh

**Alignment: **Chaotic Good

**Stats **

Strength: B.

Endurance: B

Agility: B

Luck: A

Magic: A

**Class Skills**:

Magic Resistance (C): Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against Magecraft on the level of _High-Thaumaturgy_ and _Greater Rituals_.

Independent Action (A): Can remain in this world for a week even after losing her Master. However, to use Noble Phantasms of great prana consumption, back up from the Master is necessary.

**Personal Skills**:

Charisma (A+): Gilgamesh has a rank of A+, making it no longer a matter of popularity or skill, but closer to something like sorcery or curse. Any army led by her will have a tremendous increase in abilities because an egotistical Gilgamesh radiating with self-confidence will be sure to boost the morale of her army to an extremely high level.

Divinity (B): She would normally possess the highest rank of Divinity among the many Heroic Spirits due to being 2/3 God. She is at a level even exceeding Heracles, the son of Zeus who ascended to the Pantheon after death. The rank is instead decreased from A+ to B due to her despising the Gods

Golden Rule (A): She has the skill Golden Rule, being fated to a life that is filled with riches. It does not measure the percentage of gold in one's body, but the chance of attracting gold in one's life. The level of gold provided by rank A will make the user incredibly wealthy to the point where money trouble will be unknown, allowing her to live the life of a nabob. While it seems unrelated to battle, it plays a great role in arming her. Claiming all the world's treasures as her own, she obtained the originals of Noble Phantasms preserved in her treasury during that period.

**Noble Phantasms**

**Gate of Babylon**  
Rank: A++  
Type: Anti-Army  
Range: 1~2  
Maximum Targets: 1 Object  
The gate of Babylon is opened using a dark red, key-shaped shortsword that connects to the "Golden Capital", the treasury of Gilgamesh, allowing the user to easily access its contents. It connects the space of reality to the vault, opening an "invisible door" that allows for the contents to pass through upon the user's command. The items that pass through the gate form ripples in the empty air as they appear. They can be summoned anywhere, either directly to the users hands or anywhere in the direct vicinity.

**Class**: Rider  
**True Name**: Iskander King of Conquerors  
**Alignment**: Neutral Good

Strength: B  
Endurance: A  
Agility: C  
Mana: B  
Luck: A+

**Class Skills**  
Magic Resistance (D): Cancel Single Action spells.

Riding (A+): Creatures on the level of Phantasmal Beast and Divine Beast can be used as mounts. A function of his class, this allows him to utilize his Noble Phantasm to its fullest effect.

**Personal Skills**  
Charisma (A): This is fame of the highest level; Rider's words are appealing to people who would normally find the topic uninteresting. He can make allies of people they have never met before, and forge empires through power of personality.

Divinity (C): Iskander claims descent from Zeus, but the lack of evidence leaves the rank rather low.

Eye of the Mind (True) (B): Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

Military Tactics (B): Rider is among the greatest generals. He can assess battlefield conditions quickly with limited information and enact simple strategies without needing to plan. Bonus modifiers are provided during use of one's own _Anti-Army_ Noble Phantasm or when dealing with an enemy _Anti-Army_ Noble Phantasm.

**Noble Phantasm**

**Gordius Wheel: Wheel of Heaven's Authority**

Rank: A+  
Type: Anti-Army  
Range: 2-50  
Maximum number of targets: 100 people

Gordius Wheel is a large antique war chariot with two prows that is led by two Divine Bulls with rippling muscles. Its dimensions are greater than that of an average truck and it has two large, curved sickles on its sides used to demolish surrounding obstacles and hurl the debris at enemies. The bulls and the chariot tread atop lightning strikes, manifestations of Zeus, allowing it to also move through the air just as easily as it travels atop the ground. They create thunderous sounds and webs of lightning with each "stomp" as they travel, and each lightning strike generates the amount of prana Saber or Lancer would use in an attack that utilized every ounce of their strength.


	5. The Vicious Beast Roars

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Zero or anything in the Nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Harry Potter/Fate Zero fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please constructive criticism only.**

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

"Both of you sheath your blades" he ordered loudly "For I am a king. I am Iskandar King of Conquerors. In this battle for the Holy Grail I am of the Rider class of servants."

Harry could see Waver seated in the in the chariot next to him with a look of horror on his face.

"What are you thinking you idiot?" Waver screamed "Announcing yourself like that?"

Rider flicked his forehead silencing any further protests.

"Fate has brought together in this place to do battle for the Holy Grail" Rider continued "But first I wish to make a proposition an offer. What think you of yielding the Holy Grail to me and joining my glorious and invincible army? You would be treated as friends, honoured allies and brothers in arms. Together we shall share the glory of battle and enjoy world conquest"

"I'm afraid I must decline your offer" Lancer shook his head "As tempting as it may be I may offer the Grail but to one man, my new avowed lord and master and not the likes of you Rider"

"Tell me Rider, did you come here and interfere with our battle, rudely, merely to profit off of a ridiculous and laughable plan of yours?" Saber asked "This is a grave offense against my honour"

'Uh oh this doesn't look good better get out of here ' Harry thought and began crawling backwards out of his hiding spot, but stopped as he found a container was blocking his path. 'Oh damn it. It must have fallen when Saber and Lancer were fighting. I'm in real trouble now'

"I'd be willing to discuss compensation" Rider offered again.

"Enough" Saber and Lancer yelled together

"And further I am king of Briton and not merely a knight of the realm" Saber announced "I could never lower myself to mere retainer, even to a mighty king"

"Oh you are the king of Britain?" Rider asked "I would hardly have expected the King of Knights to be a little girl."

'Oh joy, he's made her mad' Harry thought as Sabers hand clenched her invisible sword in anger.

"Then would like a taste of this little girl's blade?" Saber asked bringing her sword to ready indignantly "King of Conquerors"

"I suppose negotiations have failed" Rider sighed rubbing his head "Such a terrible waste, truly an awful shame"

"Rider!" Waver yelled "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"So" Lancers master asked "You were the one who did huh? I wondered what twisted madness invaded your psyche and compelled you to steal my relic. I never even imagined that you yourself were planning to enter the Holy Grail War. Waver Velvet"

'Waver looks pretty scared now' Harry thought to himself 'He must know Lancers master'

"Now I know you're not experienced in these matters" Lancers master continued putting fear into Waver "How would you like me to offer you a private Lesson? What it really means for Mages to kill one another. I'll teach you all about the fear and pain involved in such endeavours. You should feel honoured"

Waver was crouching down in the chariot with his hands over his ears. Harry could even see tears coming out of his eyes. Harry glanced at his gloved hand; he could feel the command seal burning beneath it, awaiting his command.

He was sorely tempted for a moment to call Archer to shut Lancer's master up, but decided against it. Harry knew Archer would probably hate that and Harry would be in for it for calling her over such a trivial matter.

Surprisingly Rider put his hand on Wavers back, calming him as he looked up at his servant. He grinned down at Waver before looking out at the docks.

"Mage who is speaking now, do I understand correctly that you were to be my master rather than this boy I am sworn to serve?" Rider yelled "That whole idea's absurd and laughable; only one brave enough to ride onto the battlefield standing at my side could ever hope to be my master. A coward who lacks sufficient courage to show himself is nowhere close to being worthy of me. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Kayneth gritted his teeth in fury at being spoken to in such a manner by a mere servant.

Rider then glanced over his shoulder.

"Of course they're out there skulking in the darkness watching us" Rider continued

'Oh crap does he know I'm here?' Harry wondered and prepared his command seal again, just in case.

"What are you talking about? Rider" Saber demanded.

"Saber and Lancer" Rider gave a thumbs up to both Saber and Lancer "The skills and bravery were impressive your duel was magnificent. Surely the sound of your blades and the fury of your battle called other heroic spirits here to bear witness and glean knowledge from your encounter"

'Well he's kind of right' Harry thought 'I'm here and I'm gleaning knowledge alright'

"Heroic Spirits born again through the Holy Grail" Rider yelled "Gather here and now, those too craven and cowardly to show themselves tonight will draw the vicious scorn of ISKANDER KING OF CONQUERERS"

'Now's my chance' Harry looked up at Assassin whose attention was now focused on Rider as was that of the other servants 'Ok here goes nothing'

Harry slid out of his hiding place while keeping a close eye on the heroic spirits that were assembled, mainly Assassin, and then when all seemed clear he made a run for it. He tried to keep his escape quiet but before he realised it, he found himself nailed to a container by a red spear, thankfully it had missed his body and had only pinned his coat to the container. Harry was now dangling off of the ground and was stuck. Lancer had spotted him and stopped him in his tracks.

"Who are you?" he asked "A spy perhaps?"

Everyone's eyes were on Harry now who gulped. Waver looked surprised as did Irisviel and Saber. Rider however had a curious look on his face.

"Is that a child?" Irisviel asked

"What is a boy doing here?" Saber asked.

"Well boy, answer" Lancer demanded

"Harry what're you doing here?" Waver asked in a loud voice.

"Isn't it obvious Waver?" Rider asked.

"What do you mean?" Waver asked "He's only a kid"

"Rider then this boy is…" Saber didn't finish her sentence, apparently she too astonished.

"But…he's just a little boy, how could someone so young be…?" Irisviel trailed off in disbelief.

It looked it was over, he couldn't fool them anymore.

"What do you mean?" Waver asked "Rider what are you talking about?"

"Wow I guess I couldn't fool you could I Rider?" Harry said closing his eyes and bringing his gloved hand to his mouth "But we have sort of met before haven't we? So I shouldn't be surprised that you were the first to figure it out"

"Harry what are you talking ab-" Waver was cut off as Harry removed the glove and spat it out of his mouth allowing it to float to ground. Formerly concealed by the glove were a set of command seals.

A few like Irisviel and Waver gasped in shock.

"Ta da" Harry grinned "See I'm one too"

"Y-you're a master!" Waver cried "But that means-"

"Yeah, I knew you were a master from the moment that I saw the command seals on your hand." Harry grinned "You didn't even try to hide them; you really went for that lost kid routine"

"Tell me boy" Rider asked "If you knew where we lived then why not attack immediately?"

"To be honest with you?" Harry sighed "I felt sorry for Waver, he kind of reminded me of myself when I was dumped in this city and left to die in the rain. I mean Waver was really pathetic, like a frightened puppy that I just couldn't bring myself to kick"

"So you're not a completely heartless child are you?" Rider asked

"Heartless? I was never heartless" Harry replied "I just really want the Grail. I need it for my wish and I don't care what gets me it faster. Be it killing Servants or Masters, all that matters to me is the Holy Grail and making my wish. You see I made a terrible mistake and only the grail can undo it. Sorry about this Waver but, if you stand in the way of me and the Grail then I have no choice but crush you. I _need_ that wish I have to undo my mistake. No matter what it takes."

Waver backed off a bit frightened again.

"You're trapped boy" Rider pointed out "You're not exactly in a position to be making such bold threats"

Harry's only reply was to smirk and glance upwards.

"Oh look" he said "The cavalry has arrived"

Suddenly Lancer dodged backwards as swords of different designs and appeared and rapidly launched themselves at him. They each caused an explosion in the ground where they landed. When the smoke cleared they saw Lancer's Gae Dearg lying on the ground and Harry gone.

"What but where did he-" Saber was interrupted by Rider

"Up there" Rider pointed to a storage container where Harry was now suddenly sat on his backside with a grin on his face.

"Thanks for the save, your majesty" Harry said to the air in front of him.

Suddenly out of golden particles a woman wearing Golden Armour formed on the street light a short distance away from Harry.

"Oh no that's her" Waver said.

"The Servant that defeated Assassin?" Kayneth whispered from his hiding place on the roof.

"Boy" she said without looking at Harry after she'd finished materialising "I thought I told you to stay concealed and remain out of sight?"

"Well yes your majesty but I was focused on the that servant" Harry replied meekly "I thought I could get away if I kept my eyes on him in case he attacked while everyone else was focused on Rider. He seemed to be the most deadly from that range"

"I see, well there is nothing to be done about it now." Archer sighed "Ensure that there are no more mistakes. Potter"

"Yes your majesty" Harry apologised "I beg your forgiveness"

"You are forgiven" Archer said "However your training shall be doubled for this mistake"

"So two lesser beings dare to name themselves kings?" Archer asked turning her attention to the servants below "Even in my royal presence?"

"I fail to see where the problem lays, servant of Harry Potter" Rider said "For I am Iskandar, the legendary King of Conquerors known through all the lands of the world"

"What nonsense, you are deluding yourself. I am the one true king of the world. All others are mongrels, pretenders to the name" Archer said haughtily brushing him aside with a reviling declaration. Colour had already drained from Saber's face, but the tolerant Rider drew an amazed sigh, ignoring it altogether.

"If you're that insistent of your claim, then why not name yourself?" Rider asked "No king should be troubled by something as simple as giving her name to those she wishes to challenge"

The streetlight that Archer was standing on began to flicker violently and shattered as Archer stomped angrily. At Rider's banter, Archer's crimson eyes narrowed with proud anger as she glared at the giant below her.

"So you would question me you filthy mongrel?" Archer asked "Me the one true king? If you cannot now discern my identity in the presence of my magnificent glory. Then your ignorant blindness will serve to seal your doom!"

A sword and spear appeared out golden ripples in the air, but instead of pointing at Rider they aimed at Lancer. Both of them decorated with eye-catching ornaments and emitted a fierce magical power.

Clearly they were not common weapons, but Noble Phantasms. By now, it was doubtless that this demonstration was the same as the previous night's—the mysterious attack that had wiped out Assassin one-sidedly. Those who had observed the Tohsaka mansion the previous night understood that.

"I see now" Rider said thoughtfully "That is how she killed Assassin"

Saber ran in front of Irisviel and held her sword defensively.

"But first, you Lancer" Archer sneered "This boy belongs to me, and those who touch what is mine must pay for this most grievous sin. Even if he is not one of my treasures he is still my property and no one touches my property whether it is a treasure or something completely worthless. Say your prayers, you filthy half breed"

Lancer readied his spear and prepared to fight. Waver was struck with awe. The unseen Master of Lancer gulped. Kiritsugu and Maiya, observing from great distance, could feel

the tension in the air as well.

"Wait your majesty" Harry interjected quickly.

Archer looked back him.

"What is it?" she demanded with an annoyed look on her face.

"Is he really worthy of your time right now, your majesty?" Harry asked "Would it not be better, more notable to fight him at the peak of his strength and then crush him? Let the world know of your might, not that you wiped out an insignificant threat, even if that is what he is."

"Hmm" Archer considered it ""Hmm, perhaps you are right. I would not want to stain my epic by allowing bugs onto it. No, only the greatest deserve to fall before me, either in supplication or defeat. Very well, we shall leave for now"

Harry let out a sigh of relief; he really didn't want to be here anymore. His heart was pounding against his chest; it wasn't that Harry was afraid of any of the servants down there in the open, not with Archer by his side. It was that he rather not have Assassin to take the opportunity to kill him and succeed in what he failed to do the other night.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Meanwhile one man—one who, like Rider and Waver, had followed Lancer's movements throughout the day, and now observed while hidden in the storehouses … Like the other man spying on the battlefield through the vision of a familiar, he stared at Archer's strange battle preparation.

Yes, it was undoubtedly the same. Archer was definitely the golden Servant who had defended the Tohsaka mansion from Assassin's invasion the previous night. In other words, this was Tohsaka Tokiomi's Servant…..or that was what the man was expecting anyway.

"What?" In the darkness, an old hatred burning in his one bloodshot eye now became confusion. Kariya Matou had no idea what the hell was going on. Now was the time he had anxiously waited for. He had endured a year of living hell, looking forward to this instant and now it something was very wrong, something critical "What the hell is going on?"

_Tokiomi Tohsaka … _Husband of Aoi and the father of Sakura, and also the man who had trampled the happiness of both mother and child. The hated, cursed, sworn enemy who had taken everything that Kariya wished for; the one who defiled it all.

But now Harry Potter, the boy that Yume, the girl thief with a kind heart that seemed to make the world brighter, had adopted was somehow Archer's master. But how could that be? How had he been drawn into something as dangerous as the Holy Grail War?

He knew for a fact that Tokiomi, while not the type to go on the front lines would never allow another person to have the Command Seals for his servant. Even if another person was supplying the prana and he was fairly certain that Tokiomi was depraved enough to use a child to do just that.

No, Tokiomi would have definitely kept the Command Seals. In addition the manor had gone into lock down after Assassins assault, that wasn't like Tokiomi at all; no he would have resumed business as usual. The only thing that made sense was if somehow the man he hated was now dead.

It led Kariya to the terrible conclusion that he had tried to deny ever since his familiars had begun their spying on the Tohsaka manor. Through them not only had he witnessed Assassins demise, but he had also seen a golden coffin in the living room. Inside was none other than Yume, or to be more precise her body.

At first he thought that Tokiomi was merely displaying her like a trophy to warn other intruders, or perhaps was preserving her to experiment on. But now he had all the confirmation he needed. Tokiomi was dead and Harry had taken his place as Archer's master. It was likely he wanted to use the Grail to wish Yume back to life.

Self-loathing and sorrow filled Kariya; he shouldn't have pointed Yume to Tokiomi's mansion. He knew that he was Magus and didn't even bother to warn her all for some petty revenge and the rule about not revealing the secret of magic to those who were unaware.

Worse was the fact that he would have to confront the child that she'd practically adopted, in order to get the grail for that worm Zouken. A child that he had indirectly driven into the hell that was the Holy Grail War, in the first place.

"Kill him …" The hatred filled his voice and spoke of sorrow and pain.

The rest would have to wait; that Servant must first be demolished. The thought of losing Harry as well would be too much for Kariya to bear. His face now smeared in frustration and sorrow that he might have gotten someone innocent killed provoked him to a maddened rage. He'd find a way to help persuade Harry…somehow.

"Kill him, Berserker! Pulverize that Lancer!"

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Archer leapt over to Harry, and then picked him up under her arm. Frankly Harry was surprised that Archer listened to him, but he got a feeling that this wouldn't be a regular thing.

However before she could leap away to leave, Harry spoke up again.

"What the hell is that thing?" he asked out of the blue.

"Hmm?" Archer turned around and dropped Harry onto the solid metal storage container they were standing on like a sack of potatoes.

"Ow"

She walked over the edge to see what her master's problem was, ignoring his protest at being dropped. A torrent of prana was swept in a roar. Under the watchful gaze of all present, the flowing prana gathered and solidified, materializing into the shadow of a well-built man. The shadow straightened near the four-lane road that just then was Saber's and Lancer's battlefield, at a spot two blocks further toward the sea.

If one Judged by the width of the tall figure's shoulders, then it had the body of a man. It was completely covered in full armour with no opening. It was different from the silver armour wrapping Saber or the luxurious golden armour of Archer; this man's armour was black, without any delicate ornament or polished luster. The armour was coloured a bottomless black. The face, also invisible, was covered by a rustic helmet. In the depth of a thinly carved slit was the ghastly glow of a pair of eyes, a glare burning like a flame.

A Servant; that much was obvious. But which Heroic Spirit did the sinister appearance belong to? This black knight had none of the radiance that bore the other Servants who were already gathered—the glow possessed by Arturia, Diarmuid, Alexander the King of Conquerors and Archer—the expression of a servant's pride, the honour of the legends acclaimed and desired by all.

But the newly appeared black knight had none of it. In that sense he was closer to Assassin. The darkness around the black armour harboured a negativesurge. Rather than a Heroic Spirit, one might label him a vengeful spirit instead.

"RRRRRAAAAAGGHHHHHH" The spirit roared in fury

"Berserker?" Saber exclaimed with shock at the unexpected appearance of the mad servant.

"So, King of Conquerors. Are you planning to ask him to join too?" Still observing the black knight carefully, Lancer railed at Rider with a light tone. Rider grimaced at the verbal jab.

"Perhaps not. He doesn't seem terribly interested civilized negotiations of any kind, does he?"

Nothing but blood-lust flowed from the black knight. Even the whirlwind of prana seemed ominous, like a groan filled with deep hatred. _Berserker! _The unanimous conclusion needed no confirmation. Such a fiendish surge of murderous intent could only come from the Heroic Spirit of Fury.

"Hey boy. How powerful a Servant is this monster huh?" Rider asked Waver, but the small Master shook his head, dumbfounded.

"… I don't know. I can't really tell."

"What do you mean boy? Are you not a Master chosen by the Holy Grail? You're supposed to be able, to sense all their strengths and weaknesses. Aren't you?"

A Master who had made a contract with a Servant could read the status of a Servant using powers of clairvoyance. This was a unique ability granted by the Grail which had summoned the Heroic Spirits. It would not work for fake Masters such as Irisviel, but Waver, rightful Master of Rider, could see the other Servants' abilities and compare them to Rider's, so as to guide him most efficiently in battle. He already had a clear understanding of the faculties of Saber, Lancer and Archer.

"I can't tell anything. That black thing is definitely a Servant, but I can't read its status or anything else!"

Rider frowned suspiciously at Waver's confused explanation, and looked once more at Berserker. The armour, coloured by darkness, revealed no characteristic features and left no clue about the lineage of its maker, due to the fact that it was all blurred.

Not only Rider, but Saber, Lancer, Archer, Harry and Irisviel had also noticed the same thing. No matter how carefully one watched, one could not perceive Berserker's figure precisely. Like an out-of-focus photograph, the outlines of the black armour were continuously shifting like a mist, and occasionally one would even see a double or triple outline.

"It appears, that you'll be facing another difficult enemy" Irisviel murmured

"Yes so it seems" Saber nodded "That's spirit has some curse or other ability. It fully conceals nearly everything about him. But that isn't all. With four servants present, we have to be very careful."

In a regular battle royal, the most reliable tactic was to smash the quantitatively inferior with concentrated effort. Thus, if they were to show any weakness now, they might be forced toward the worst outcome—a hopeless four-against-one battle. Even Saber would not stand a chance. Which Heroic Spirit would start attacking which, and who would take that chance to make his move? To survive here, one had to see through the movements of the others; this applied to all Heroic Spirits.

Rider wasn't targeting anyone in particular. His current intention was probably to have a look at the Heroic Spirits currently participating in the Holy Grail War. But as one who knows no fear, he was the kind of man who would stand up to any challenge.

Archer who was about to leave, had become curious of Berserker for the moment. However she clearly saw Lancer as her enemy. The golden Heroic Spirit seemed ill-humoured toward the one who had dared to touch her master. Not because she was fond of him, but because she considered him her personal property, and touching something of hers was a grievous offence one punishable by death.

"Looks like you've gone and earned Berserker's ire Lancer" Rider commented "Have you done something to him perhaps?"

Sure enough Berserker was indeed glaring at Lancer with unconcealed hatred common to his class. He was trembling in rage and the noise of his armour vibrating in anger could be heard by all. Lancer got in a defensive stance.

"Saber was my first battle of this war" Lancer replied glancing at the King of Conquerors for a second "I've no idea why he-"

Unfortunately for a second was all Berserker needed to launch himself at Lancer. He was caught off guard and Gae Dearg was torn from its owners hands. The fight began, with Berserker skilfully yet madly attempting to kill Lancer, who barely managed to keep defending against the armoured servants constant attacks. He was still surprised at how the armoured giant had stolen his Noble Phantasm and was now using it against him.

"Interesting" Rider murmured stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"What is?" Waver asked nervously.

"Didn't you see it?" Rider asked exasperatedly "Anything that Berserker grabs becomes his Noble Phantasm, even those of other servants"

"But how is that possible?" Waver asked "That's not something a Berserker should be able to do"

"No, it's not." Rider said, shaking his head, "But given what we just witnessed, I have to say that he's the exception to the rule."

"Damn you...!" Lancer growled as he deflected the wild spear thrusts with his Gae Buidhe, but without the longer reach of Gae Dearg, he was unable to force his enemy back any further. Jumping back to reassess his options, the mad warrior in front of him let out a roar and grabbed a nearby telephone pole with one hand, ripping it from the ground.

"What the hell!?" Waver gasped as Berserker threw it with impossible precision right at Lancer's head. A hasty spear block cut it down the middle, but it left an opening. Leaping forward, Lancer's own red spear thrusting to his open chest.

The pain he was expecting never came. Instead, there was a sound of metal hitting metal, and something brushed past him.

Beside him, Saber's invisible sword blocked his midsection, preventing what would have been a fatal blow.

"That's enough, Berserker." She said calmly, stabbing her sword into the ground and smashing her elbow into the spear shaft. The force of the blow knocked Gae Dearg from his hand, and a sudden slash from Lancer sent the mad warrior flying.

"My thanks, Saber." Lancer bowed before taking up his sword again.

"There's no need for thanks." Saber smiled back, "Our fight is not yet concluded. I will not allow such a vulgar man to interfere."

"My thoughts as well." Lancer smiled taking his two spear stance.

"Berserker!" Saber called out as the mad warrior rose to his feet, "If you insist on interfering in our noble duel, you leave us no choice but to dispose of you and continue!"

For the first time since he appeared, Berserker looked to Saber and roared again. This time, just for a second, they heard his voice.

"Ar-Arthuria!"

Ignoring his original target, Lancer, Berserker grabbed the two halves of the telephone pole and went mad on Saber. The ferocity of his attacks was such that with all her strength, she could only block his attacks. There was not so much as a single moment when she could have countered.

As she jumped back to avoid another swing, Lancer jumped forward, slicing both halves apart with his newly required Gae Dearg.

"As she said, you leave us no choice." Lancer said simply, walking back and standing beside Saber, "Shall we, King of Knights?"

"It would be my Honour." she replied, holding her sword firmly in her hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lancer's master's voice echoed in the shipyard, "This is our best chance to eliminate Saber."

"Master, I will defeat Saber!" Lancer called out, "All I ask is that you allow me to do away with this madman first! Please, Master..!"

"With my command seal, I order you." His master said calmly.

"My lord..!"

"You are to help Berserker, to kill Saber." His master finished despite his protest. "Now"

The moment he did, Saber jumped back just in time to avoid the slash from the spearman.

"Lancer" Saber could see that Lancer was struggling to resist the Command Seal in vain.

The servant of the spear shakily stood up as Berserker walked to his side, accepting his former target as an ally, for now.

"Sorry, Saber" Lancer apologised still attempting to fight the Command Seals power.

"Irisviel listen" Saber said getting into a ready stance "I shall hold them here. While I do that you must leave this place as quickly as possible, run, get as far away as you can."

Lancer and Berserker prepared to attack, albeit reluctantly on Lancers part.

"Irisviel please, run away" Saber pleaded.

"It's alright Saber" Irisviel re-assured "Please believe in your master"

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Up on the storage container Harry voiced his thoughts out loud.

"I knew it, she wasn't Sabers real master after all" Harry said aloud to himself "And this confirms it."

"Oh and how did you work that one out?" Archer asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, earlier when she healed Saber there was no Command Seals on the back of her hands" Harry explained "That lead me to two possibilities, either the Command Seals were elsewhere on her body and hidden from view or more likely she was only pretending to be Sabers master."

What she said just now confirms what Harry had suspected. After all if she was Sabers master, it would have made more sense to say 'Please believe in me' if she referring to her master or if she was referring to someone else 'please believe in that person'.

But instead she chose to say 'please believe in your master'. This lead Harry to believe that Sabers master was someone else hiding nearby, most likely preparing for a long range attack.

Normally it would be surprising for a seven year old to be so observant, however in the Dursley household you learned to be observant quickly or else.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Emiya Kiritsugu made a decision to act, not because he detected his wife's worries, but from a clear analysis of the situation. The first to be protected was the Vessel of the Grail, Irisviel. Since Saber could no longer protect her Master, right now no hesitation could be afforded.

"Maiya, proceed with your attack of Assassin, on my mark. Suppressive fire."

"Right, acknowledged." The answer from the radio was immediate. The air was soaked with tension. At this point, they had to kill Lancer's Master. It was the only way.

"Six."

Kiritsugu began to count in a low voice, and focused the thermal vision scope toward Lancer's Master.

"Five."

Lancer's Master was less than 300 metres away. Kiritsugu carefully adjusted the aim.

"Four."

Lancer was forced to attack Saber because of his Master's Command Seal. After his Master was shot dead, his reactions may be unpredictable, but he would probably stop attacking Saber. Then the only direct threat would be the lone Berserker.

The biggest problem Kiritsugu would come up with an idea to get Saber and Irisviel out of danger. After all he had no idea what Archer would do, turning off the night vision scope for just a second to look at her, eh was shocked as he saw her crimson eyed glare directed at him.

Almost as though she knew he was there and watching, he could just about make out a couple of weapons, hovering in the air pointing at him threateningly. He had no choice and thermal vision scope back on and returned his aim to Lancers master.

The last problem was Kiritsugu's own safety. Under such a situation, he had no other choice but to resort to bold actions, such as firing right next to Assassin.

"Three."

To reduce the risk, Kiritsugu timed his shots to Maiya's. Its power would not damage Assassin. However, if Assassin came under sudden fire, he might ignore the other sniper in front of him—it goes without saying that the preparations were severely deficient.

"Two."

Assassin might mistakenly take Maiya, who was only pretending to attack, as his enemy. However, Maiya's position was far enough from Assassin for her to escape. Perhaps, out of fear of showing himself in front of other Masters, Assassin would have left before that point.

However, in this already unexpected situation, Assassin might immediately assault Kiritsugu, who was right beside him. At that point, they could only fight on and hope for the best. In the first place, this had nothing to do with winning.

"One"

Kiritsugu breathed quietly and slowly pulled the trigger. The Walther's muzzle was completely still; the hollow barrel was like a killing glare that locked its gaze onto the target. At this moment, a deafening rumble reverberated.

It was not a gunshot from a rifle, but an impact strong enough to shake the earth. It was a thunderbolt that suddenly visited the battlefield. It had a dizzying flash of lightning that contrived to turn night into day, and a roar that boomed greater than any thunder.

"Aaalalalalalalaie!" Rider let out a battle cry as he charged

"RIDER!" Waver yelled in protest to his servants actions.

The lightning did not descend from the sky, but traversed across the ground. No—that thing that looked like lightning was the galloping chariot entangled by escaping electricity. Lancer quickly flipped backwards and avoided the chariot in time. But Berserker, who kept all his attention of Saber, did not even have time to turn around and register what was happening.

Accompanying Rider's war cry, the two divine bulls first kicked the black knight to the ground with their four front hooves, and then trampled the black knight mercilessly with their four hind hooves. Each hoof was enveloped with rolling purple lightning; just one kick would have been a very heavy hit. The divine bulls trampled upon Berserker eight times in all; his wounds must have been fatal. After Rider's chariot roared past, Berserker did not even have the strength to stand. The figure with the black armour lay face up on the ground.

Rider sat on the stopped chariot and gazed down at his utterly defeated enemy. His spirited face was covered with smiles.

"Ah this servant is quite a tough one, isn't he?"

Berserker was not dead yet. His body twitched feebly, and he slowly rose up from the ground. The black knight, stomped upon by the divine bulls, finally managed to turn his body around and crawl away from the chariot's path. He had noticed Rider, and luckily avoided the decisive maximum impact of the chariot wheels.

Rider's Noble Phantasm sped across in front of Saber. Upon seeing the Noble Phantasm's overwhelming power of destruction, Saber was speechless. Gordius Wheel—its power obviously lay not in one-on-one fighting, but against armies. Even the gallop just then had been carefully calibrated by Rider. Had Rider wished it, even Saber, much less Lancer, would have fallen prey to those hooves and wheels.

The recumbent Berserker stretched out his leg weakly in an attempt to stand, but he had suffered a heavy impact and seemed to have realized that he could not keep up the fight. As he carefully stopped moving, his outline turned fuzzy, dissipating like thin mist. He cancelled his physical form, returning to spiritual form, and escaped in this fashion.

"Well as you can see our dark malevolent friend will be retiring for the evening" Rider said "Master of Lancer. I know not from whence you are watching, but do not sully a battle between knights with your petty tricks."

At this point, the stalwart Servant smiled savagely, threatening the invisible enemy.

"Have Lancer withdraw. If you insist on humiliating him further, then I shall join Saber against him, and I assure you that together the two of us will annihilate your Servant. What will it be?"

The anger of the hidden magus could be felt throughout the battlefield. But he did not hesitate.

"Fine, withdraw Lancer. That is enough for tonight."

Upon hearing the command Lancer heaved a sigh of relief and lowered the spear in his hand.

"My thanks, King of Conquerors."

When he heard the whispered thanks of the handsome spearman, Rider gave a satisfied smile.

"It was nothing. The flowers of a battlefield must bloom" Rider said with a grin.

Lancer looked to Saber who gave him a nod, he quickly returned to spirit form and left. Archer remained glaring at the crane for a few seconds before allowing her weapons to vanish back into the Gate of Babylon.

"So the mad dog and the mongrel have run away" Archer said aloud reminding the others that she was still here "How boring, seeing as none here are worthy of me it's time to leave"

With that declaration she lifted Harry back up and began walking away, but not before turning back to those still present.

"You mongrels, by our next meeting ensure that you have quelled your numbers" she ordered "Only a true hero is worthy to look upon my glorious presence"

She then leapt off into the distance, carrying her young master with her away from the wrecked battlefield and off into the night.


	6. Night of Schemes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Zero or anything in the Nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Harry Potter/Fate Zero fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please, constructive criticism only.**

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Lifting the iron top of the sewer entrance took almost an hour. For the gaunt Kariya Matou, it was tenuous work, even when he put all of his strength put into it.

At last, Kariya managed to pry open a crack, sliding the lid aside. Refreshing air flowed into the disgusting sewers. Kariya was invigorated in this short moment. Exerting all of his strength, he pushed the manhole cover aside and slowly crawled up like a caterpillar.

There was not a single person on the streets. He appeared to be at a water treatment facility, the street where he found himself had lots of pipes and the stink of sewage water from open sewers.

Kariya had detected the scent of Lancer and had chased the Heroic Spirit to docks. As the battle began, he decided to not expose himself. Sending out sight worms obtained from Zouken, he decided to hide in the sewers and observe the battle from underground.

Trying for a long time to stabilize his breathing, Kariya collapsed on his back on the freezing asphalt. Blood covered his body. Most of his capillaries had exploded, and blood oozed continuously from cracks in his skin.

A long time ago, Kariya had seen the victim of a nuclear plant explosion struggle against disease. Right now, his appearance and situation was no different from the victim's prior to his death. His body of flesh had already been destroyed. But there were Crest worms spread throughout Kariya's body. Their magic extended his lifespan and allowed him to move about.

The master of Berserker could not believe his body had been reduced to this state. When he supplied prana to Berserker, it felt like the worms had already devoured his entire body. Merely one battle and he had been reduced to this. The backlash and burden of controlling Berserker was far beyond what he could handle.

Kariya's thoughts were interrupted when he saw something large that was caught and remained trapped despite the water running quickly through the open sewer. Hs curiosity caused him to shakily stand up and examined the thing he had spotted, he took a few minutes to fish it out.

His eyes widened, without a doubt, this was definitely the corpse of Tokiomi Tohsaka, his hated enemy. Tokiomi had been riddled with holes where he had been skewered thoroughly by numerous weapons.

Now he finally had a notion of what had happened, and it delighted him to no end.

"AHAHAHAHAHA" Kariya chuckled stomping on his enemy's stinking corpse a few times with the strength he could muster each stomp squeezed a bit more sewer water from out of Tokiomi's ruined suit "How do you like that Tokiomi? Even your own servant couldn't stand you and traded you for a child. If the wounds on your body are any indication then I'd say you were hit with quite a few projectiles in a short space of time."

Kariya took a breather for a few seconds before kicking Tokiomi with all his might sending the corpse down into a nearby open sewer, where it landed with a splash back into the putrid water and drifted away.

"Ah Tokiomi, how I wish I could have seen the look on your face when that happened" Kariya laughed madly, before stopping and bringing his hand up to his mouth, he coughed up blood and crest worms which writhed around in the puddle of blood "That damned Berserker broke free of my control and started fighting Saber, Bastard. If he keeps doing that then my body won't last long.

The worm infested master clenched his blood covered hand in determination.

"But if I can keep control of him, then I can win" Kariya declared and turned to walk off into the darkness "Just hold on, Sakura"

Kariya wasn't fooled by Assassins 'death' it was more likely that the servant of stealth was out there somewhere still. He probably faked his death to try and one up the other masters so he could strike whenever he wanted.

Frankly, things didn't look good. Berserker was nearly impossible to control and between his apparent grudge with Saber and the fact that the other masters were far more skilled than Kariya himself was it looked grim.

But there was hope. Harry. If he could convince Harry to ally with him then he might be able to survive this Grail War and hopefully get Sakura away from Zouken, one way or another. Archer was definitely powerful judging by what Kariya's Master's Clairvoyance had said about her.

She would easily be able to destroy the other masters in grail war. Hopefully allowing Kariya to conserve his energy as much as possible, only fighting when it was necessary. As he thought about Harry and his servant and ways in which to ally with them, Kariya's thoughts inevitably drifted to the girl who introduced him to the boy in the first place. Almost immediately he was filled with self loathing and sorrow.

"Yume" he cried out the name tearfully "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you to end up like this, dying at the hands of that bastard. If I'd known I never would have told you about Tokiomi's stupid manor. Instead I was selfish and stupid. Please forgive me for what I did to you. I swear I'll make sure Harry survives this war. There has to be a way"

Kariya turned around as a slight breeze blew through the alleyway that he was using to keep hidden. He half expected the thief to be there, having snuck up on him once again as she usually did. She did it with such skill that sometimes he swore that she had presence concealment. It was then that reality to give him a harsh reminder of Yume's fate and his self loathing and sorrow came rushing back like a torrent of water. So he continued his lonely trek through the darkness.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

"Hey, hey, this goes pretty fast, doesn't it?" Irisviel said a pleased smile on her face as she held the steering wheel.

A nervous Saber, sitting in the passenger's seat, barely managed a stiff smile and a nod.

"In-indeed. This is … rather unexpectedly … skilful …driving …"

"I know, you may not believe it but I practice all the time"

Despite her confident claim, her unfamiliarity with the gears demonstrated how far she was from being a proficient driver.

"Of all the toys Kiritsugu has bought me over the years, this is my absolute favourite"

"This is a toy?" There would be little objection to calling a skateboard or bicycle a toy, but the term was clearly mismatched for a machine speeding at more than a hundred kilometres per hour on a snaking road. Ordinarily, one would not call something a toy if the slightest mistake in its handling would put their lives in danger.

"At the Einzbern castle I was only allowed to drive around the courtyard. So this is great!

Kiritsugu had specially prepared the car in the Einzbern castle earlier so that, on reaching Fuyuki, Irisviel and Saber would have means of transportation other than their own two feet. For more than half a month, the car had been parked in the hotel's underground car park. Now, they were driving that precious car to the Einzberns' castle residence.

"… Would it not have been better to hire a chauffeur?"

"Of course not. That would be bori—I mean, that would be _dangerous_. What would happen if the enemy were to suddenly launch an attack against us."

"Well I suppose you have a point, but…"

Though Saber couldn't but wonder which was more dangerous: being attacked by other Masters, or being subjected to Irisviel's driving skills? Saber considered this question half-seriously when a cold wave pricked her senses like the edge of a blade.

"Stop the car!"

"Huh?" Irisviel had not grasped Saber's sudden warning. Saber did not have time to explain. She forcefully stretched her torso across the driver's seat, took hold of the steering wheel with one hand, and slammed her left foot toe-first on the brakes. Her skill of Riding enabled her to make the decision immediately and bring the rampaging machine under control. She had complete understanding of the controls of all ridden machines, both known and unknown to her.

Fortunately, the car maintained a straight path during the sharp braking and did not spin furiously. The tires of the Mercedes skidded on the asphalt, emitting clouds of white smoke. As the car's uncontrollable slide continued Saber once again confirmed the feeling that had set her nerves on edge. Without a doubt, it was definitely the scent of a Servant.

"Saber, that's—"

Irisviel fell silent. A strange-looking figure emerged onto the long stretch of the road lit by the Mercedes' headlights. The tall figure before them stood unperturbed in the middle of the road, seemingly ignorant of the danger of the speeding car. It was wrapped in a luxurious robe of ancient design, scarlet, sanguine patterns adorning the pitch-black fabric. The abnormally huge eyes brought to mind images of nocturnal animals. Bizarre observations aside, no ordinary passer-by would be appearing in such a place at this time.

The friction of the wheels finally overcame the car's momentum, and the Mercedes stopped. There was barely ten meters between the car and the figure in front of it.

"… Saber?"

Saber quickly analysed the situation, and then gave an order to Irisviel.

"Irisviel, get out of the car but stay very close to me"

If the opponent was a Servant, a car and its steel frame would be as fragile as a cardboard box. They would be defenceless if they remained inside. It would be safer to get out and seek a more defensible position.

Saber opened the gull-wing door and stepped out into the frigid night. The acrid stench of burnt tire rubber mixed with the smell from trees, rustled by the night wind. The figure before her eyes was unlike the five she had seen before. If it was a Servant she had not met yet, it could only be Caster, or perhaps Assassin …

Saber and Irisviel—unaware of the ruse that had occurred in the Tohsaka residence the other night—could not eliminate the possibility that it was Assassin, but this Servant, neither running nor hiding but standing proudly in front of them, certainly did not seem like him. By elimination, there was only one conclusion the figure before them was Caster.

However, was that expression on his face really the expression of a warrior about to do battle? The confused King of Knights surveyed the opponent's countenance once again. He was smiling, which was understandable; it was not uncommon for a warrior to be filled with joy at facing death in a place of their choosing. But that was not Caster's particular expression. It was as though they were long-lost brothers finally reunited; a face shining so purely with delight it was almost childish.

Before the unnerved Saber could challenge his identity, Caster acted, foiling her estimations.

He bowed his head deferentially and knelt down on the asphalt road, like a courtier presenting himself before a king.

"I have been waiting, Your Majesty, the Holy Maiden."

"What?" Saber felt more and more lost in this situation.

Although she had once been a king and had accepted genuflection from countless lords and heroes, she had no memory of the man before her eyes. This man was not one of her former subjects from Camelot.

In the first place, the title "Holy Maiden" was strange indeed. When she governed Britain as King Arthur, she never exposed the act that she was in truth a woman, even at the end. Irisviel, who had gotten out of the Mercedes after a while, hid behind Saber, who nervously kept her guard up and silently observed Caster.

"Saber, do you know this person?" Irisviel asked

"No, I have never laid eyes on him"

Hearing Saber's and Irisviel's murmurs, Caster lifted his head with shock over his face.

"… Oh no, Are you saying that you've forgotten my face?"

Saber grew increasingly astonished at his exaggerations.

"Forgotten you? I've never met you in my life" Saber replied "You mistake me for another.

"Oh oh …" Caster began to sob with great apparent anguish, clawing his hair with his hands. His expression of delight changed completely, giving way to dismay and dejection, which twisted his strange, greasy complexion like a caricature.

"It's me! Gilles de Rais my darling. I have prayed for your resurrection and have been waiting for a miracle to reunite us." He exclaimed distraught "To that end I have come all this way, to the end of time, my Jeanne!"

"Who is Jeanne?" Irisviel asked with confusion

This was the second Servant to declare his real name before them. Although his purpose was unknown, the name was indeed the renowned title given to Caster in the current world. For Saber, doubt hardened into denial once his origin was clear.

"I know not your name I assure you" Saber said firmly "Nor do I have any idea of who this Jeanne might be."

"No you can't have forgotten" Caster insisted in denial "Not your former identity"

Saber was getting annoyed that she could not get her point across clearly.

"Since you have given your name, then I must, according to the chivalric code, give you mine. My name is Arturia, the heir of Uther Pendragon, and King of Britain. I enter this battle in the Saber class"

Caster, lost for words, stared in blank amazement at this girl in front of him, who stuck her chest out and proudly declared her name.

"Oh how tragic, this is so very sad." Caster raved "She has gone completely insane, You … You! God, why are you so cruel to this lovely maiden of mine?"

Suddenly he began to weep in fits, almost shrieking, while hammering the ground with his fists in an unsightly manner cursing god all the while.

"Enough, you embarrass yourself" Saber yelled

"Awaken o fair one you need not call yourself Saber any longer. For you see The Holy Grail War has already ended"

"That is just your own wishful thinking." This time it was Irisviel who answered on behalf of Saber, who was already too angry to speak. "Since you say the war is already over, what of the Grail?"

"It is obvious; the omnipotent Grail, that wish-granting machine has already chosen me—Gilles to be its champion without any fighting at all" Caster declared proudly, a satisfied smile on his face. "For you see my one and only eternal wish, the resurrection of Jeanne d'Arc has finally been granted!"

_Ding!_ The asphalt before Caster's eyes split perfectly into two. It was Saber's invisible sword. Although Caster could not see it, he could feel the aura of the sharp blade right at the tip of his nose.

"If you mock, the wishes of all the other Heroic Spirits again, then the next strike will be real, Caster." Saber's words were free of emotions, her voice as cold as ice. "Now rise!"

"Has your heart been sealed so tightly, my dearest Jeanne?" Caster asked sadly his gloomy voice no longer contained his earlier lament but instead resignation. "Very well then, if drastic measures are needed to free your heart. Then I will take my leave of you to go and prepare."

The mad flame in Caster's eyes disappeared. His face, twisted with excitement, gradually returned to a calm state. Caster lifted his head to look at Saber. It was a look of silent resolution; He had merely changed his determination into even firmer belief.

The long black robe floated backwards abruptly, creating a gaping distance between Saber and himself. Caster, standing up again, was practically a different person from the sobbing figure kneeling on the ground just then.

"I swear to you, Jeanne. The next time we meet, I will definitely … save your soul from the curse of God."

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

"After having Assassin perform a thorough investigation, we learnt that both Caster and his master have kidnapped children from their beds. They went to Miyami town and the next town over. By dawn they had caught fifteen. I would imagine that they are the serial killer that has been reported in the news that everyone is worried about."

Able to clearly feel his father's anger, Kirei continued promptly before he managed to reply.

"They use magic without even the slightest hesitation and seem to be doing absolutely nothing to hide their tracks. It is possible that they are not even thinking of the Holy Grail War" Kirei continued his report to his father "Also according to Assassin who eavesdropped on their conversations, the Master had been carrying out similar murders even before summoning Caster. Though we can't be sure yet, he and the wanted serial killer are apparently one and the same."

Since this month, news of the mysterious serial killer—'The Demon of Fuyuki City'—had been continuously reported. Using brutal methods rarely seen in these few years, four murder incidents in the city had been traced to him.

Worse still, in the last case, it was said that he had killed all the family members in their sleep—an extremely savage killer. The police of Fuyuki City had set up a special task force, gathering police from the neighbouring vicinity to crack the case quickly. Nevertheless, there had been no progress at all; they could not even determine the suspect's facial features.

"About these two; did you obtain any detailed information?" Risei asked his son,

"From how they call each other, we can gather that the Master's name is 'Ryuunosuke,' while Caster is known as 'Bluebeard.'" Kotomine replied deftly.

"Bluebeard? Then Caster's real identity has to be Count Gilles de Rais, isn't it?" Risei recalled with annoyance.

"Possibly. He was very famous in alchemy and black magic." Recalling what he had heard through Assassin's ears, Kirei continued: "In any case, Caster's words and actions are beyond the boundary of normal comprehension. He keeps saying the Holy Grail is already his, must rescue Jeanne d'Arc—things that do not make sense at all."

Servants attacking human beings was nothing out of the ordinary. As spiritual beings who exist by feeding on prana, Servants did not restore their prana only from their Masters; they could also obtain energy by absorbing the spirit of human beings. Masters incapable of providing sufficient prana to their Servants may use sacrificial ceremonies to make up for the inadequate prana.

Even in this Heaven's Feel, the offering of sacrifices and similar scenarios were within Risei's expectations; it was something which could not be helped. Magi were already existences beyond common rules. They could ignore morality and common perception of right and wrong. The sacrificing of innocent people, if done covertly and secretly, would be met with silent approval. But reckless murders like this which created a huge commotion would never be allowed.

"This not something we can ignore" With a displeased look, Father Risei cut in "Their actions are in violation of the rules by which we are all bound."

"I'm afraid they are also behind the continual disappearances of the children after the four murder cases." Kirei reported his views dryly. "There only seventeen children reported missing. If we take into account this morning's surveillance and include the extra ones they captured, the number of missing children should be at least thirty. Their actions will only intensify, I'm afraid. Father, we have to stop them as soon as possible."

"We will have to eliminate Caster and as well as his Master and quickly" Risei said

"Yes but the problem is, defeating a Servant requires a servant and we can't send my Assassin without exposing our deception"

Kirei's remarks made sense. Assassin's purpose for now was to watch and wait, and carry out clandestine plans; besides, how could he be allowed to show up again so quickly?

Father Risei contemplated this in silence awhile.

"Minor rule changes fall completely under my purview. We'll have the other master's work as a group to defeat Caster"

"What do you have in mind, Father?"

"I can set a bounty on Casters head, a Command Seal to whoever eliminates him. I doubt the other Masters wish to see the Grail War disrupted because of Caster's rampage either."

Kirei let this sink in, the plan seemed solid and they could participate in the war a bit longer without suspicion.

"One last thing Kirei" he said "Make sure to have two Assassins watching Harry Potter at all times. If Caster gets anywhere near the boy, they are to eliminate him before he can even use his magic, Harry Potter must not be killed by Caster. You know the consequences of such a thing."

Kirei nodded, he had not forgotten. Caster killing Harry Potter would be more than enough to start a war between Wizards and Mages. After all the Grail War was created by Magus and Caster was himself Magus. The Wizards wouldn't care about any other details, they hated Magus and vice versa.

His mind made up, Father Risei got up and left the underground chamber as did Kirei a few seconds later.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

As Kirei Kotomine opened the door of his room on the first floor of the house, a sense of disharmony struck him, as though he had just walked into the wrong room. Not the scent, nor the temperature; neither had changed.

The whole room felt different, greatly changed. The plain room that was his now emanated luxurious, elegant aura like a palace. The setting and lighting was the same. The only difference was the woman sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room, uncaring of everyone else.

The unwarranted intruder surprised Kirei a little. Startled, Kirei frowned. "… Archer?"

Her long golden hair flowed down past her waist and dangled near her ankles, and she had a pair of ruby-red eyes, the woman before him was none other than Harry Potter's Servant, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. In place of her original golden armour, the Heroic Spirit now donned an open black jacket, with a white tube top which emphasized her generously sized breasts, along with black jeans and boots.

Since her summoning, this Servant had been wandering around carelessly when not spending time with her master, enabled by her Independent Action ability. Now tired of parading herself in spirit form, Archer decided to dress herself for play, taking on physical form on a whim and strolling the streets at night.

Although he had heard of Archer's idiotic deeds from an Assassin who had been assigned to watch her. Kirei never imagined that Archer would appear in his room. Apparently, Archer felt no shame whatsoever at her intrusion of another's room. She even took the liberty of helping herself to Kirei's wine collection, from which she had casually taken a bottle of red wine and poured herself a glass. Elegantly, Archer sipped the wine.

"There are far few bottles here than in Tokiomi's room but of higher quality. I must say that's some apprentice he had." Archer chuckled referring to the deceased Tokiomi in the past tense.

Still in the dark about Archer's reason for visiting, Kirei eyed at the row of empty wine bottles on the table. It seems Archer had tasted all of Kirei's hidden wine.

"Apparently there are those in this war other than myself with an abundance of time on their hands" Archer said nonchalantly

"What do you mean?"

"Otherwise a master existing under the kind protection of the church would hardly need to wander about" Archer said with amusement.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Kirei lied changing the subject quickly as he picked up the bottles Archer had left strewn about the room "Are you dissatisfied with your master, Gilgamesh?"

Kirei knew of Archer's identity from Tokiomi, he had told the executor the identity of the servant he intended to summon before his demise at Archers hands.

"Dissatisfied?" Archer raised an eyebrow without looked at Kirei "Why on earth would I be dissatisfied. I have the most interesting master in the entire war, certainly more interesting than Tokiomi would have been."

"And what makes you say that?" Kirei asked

"From what I have read of his diary entries and notes, Tokiomi desired to reach the Vortex of the Root, What a boring and tedious little plan."

The only thing every magus yearned for even in their dreams; Archer laughed it off just like that. But Kirei was able to empathize with him.

"The unflinching desire for The Root is unique to Mages. It is not something for outsiders to comment upon."

This desire to get to The Root which bordered on obsession was one of the key things that had caused the initial split between Wizards and Magus in the first place. Wizards were horrified at some of the inhumane atrocities that Mages were willing to commit just reach the Root. As such research into The Root was not banned outright in the wizarding world, but it was deeply frowned upon. Just opening a path to it would take generations of research, even for wizards who could live for centuries

"Then you are one of those outsiders too, Kirei. To my knowledge, your prior position was one which opposed the Mages, isn't that right?" Archer had seemingly heard about Kirei's

complicated standpoint. She may put on haughty airs, but her ability to gather information was amazingly sharp.

"In a sense" Kirei continued ignoring the comment "the path leading to the Root can be said to be a path to an escape from this word. For us only interested in the World itself it may be a tedious plan."

"Is that so? True I am full of love for this universe which is my personal playground." Speaking like one who owns the universe; such a haughty attitude really suited her title of King of Heroes. "I am not interested in realms that lie outside my dominion. This Root of yours does not concern me in the least."

Golden sparkles seemed to gleam within Archer's wine glass, a swirling golden vortex appeared within the wine, rotating slowly counter-clockwise.

"Perhaps, but the Grail is not device specifically designed to seek the Root. When we say it is omnipotent. We mean that it has unlimited potential to alter even the reality of the material world."

"So what your saying is, that the other Masters fight for the Holy Grail for reasons different from Tokiomi's?" Gilgamesh asked with smirk, knowing full well that her young master certainly sought something that could be found in this world.

Kirei nodded his head in response to Archer's query.

"Tokiomi is…was an archetypal magus, and at the same time extremely orthodox. What the other masters seek, like your master own most likely, is one form or another of success here in the material world. Prestige, desires, power."

"That suits me fine; I love every one of those things"

"You are a king who reigns over the profane and the vulgar, Gilgamesh."

Refusing to reply, Archer merely laughed and took another sip of her delicious wine. She did not feel at all insulted by Kirei's evaluation.

"So what is it that motivates you, Kirei?" Archer asked pausing to take another sip of wine "What do you want from the Holy Grail?"

At such a direct question, Kirei hesitated for the first time.

"Me…" Indeed; this was the most fundamental question of all. Why were the Command Seals engraved on Kotomine Kirei's left hand? "Nothing, I have no real desire for it"

At his vague reply, Archer's red pupils emanated a playful glow. "I seriously doubt that. Doesn't the Holy Grail only call those masters whom it considers worthy of possessing it?"

"So they say. But … Why did it choose me? I have no ideal or other desire." Kirei asked, again reminded of the emptiness in his heart "So why choose me for this battle?"

"No ideal or other desire?" Noticing his heavy look, Archer could not help but laugh loudly. "Then why not wish for something like joy?"

"Ridiculous!" A subconscious fury burst within Kirei. "Wish for joy? You'd ask for me to long for something that blasphemous and sinful?"

"Blasphemous? And Sinful you say?" Looking at Kirei's serious expression, Archer perceived more meaning to those words. She laughed; a sound devoid of goodwill. "That's going a little far isn't it? Why the connection between Joy and Sin?"

"Well I…" Kirei could not reply. He did not know how he had ended up in such an awkward situation, something he had never experienced before.

At Kirei's silence, Archer, became full of herself and remarked. "True, joy gained through evil means could be considered sin. But joy may be attained through good deeds as well. What kind of philosophy calls joy itself a sin? It's absolutely ludicrous"

Such an elementary question—why did he struggle to reply? The reason eluded Kirei. A nonchalant unease locked itself in unknown territory deep within his heart.

"Joy is another quality I lack. I seek it but never find it" Finally opening his mouth, Kirei answered in a voice unlike him, unsure and hesitating, like one who, failing to find a proper answer, hastily makes one up in reply.

Archer scrutinized him, and then chuckled as she finished off her wine. "Kirei Kotomine, I find myself interested in you."

"What do you mean?" Kirei asked confused by Archer's words.

"Exactly what I said, be seated"

Kirei made his way to a chair nearby and sat down.

Pouring herself another glass of red wine, Archer leaned back on the sofa, speaking loudly.

"True Joy you see, Might be though of as a form of the soul. The question isn't whether it exists or not but whether you know it. Kirei, you yet to see what form your soul has taken. That's what it actually means when you claim you lack joy in your life."

"You're just a mere Servant, and you dare sit there and lecture me?"

"Don't get cocky mongrel. I am a king who has tasted all the pleasures the world has to offer. Hold your tongue and listen."

Despite his snappy reply, Kirei was meticulously analysing everything Archer said. Those haughty words sent shockwaves to his nerves for some reason.

"Kirei. You want to learn what pleasure is, look first to the outside'" Archer suggested "I know, why not begin by joining me in my entertainment?"

"I have no time to waste on pointless trivialities" I am different from you, Kirei thought silently.

"Don't be like that. You can do it between the jobs your father assigns you. To begin with your task is to keep watch over the six other Masters my own included, isn't that correct?"

"…What of it?"

"You should investigate not only their plans, but their motivations for obtaining the Grail as well, and give that information to me."

"That's would be possible if I asked the Assassins" Kirei replied hesitantly "But Archer what does any of that matter to you?"

"I already told you, I enjoy watching humans." Archer replied raising her glass to her lips and taking another sip "One or two of them are bound to be interesting enough to keep me entertained while I'm not bringing my young master up to my standards."

Kirei tried to cool his head and think rationally. He had only regarded Emiya Kiritsugu with interest, and completely ignored the rest. Besides, he was under no obligation to agree to Archer's request. However, if he could have some influence over this Servant who was completely out of Harry Potter's control, perhaps it would benefit them in future. After all who knew what Archer might do next?

"Very well, Archer. I accept. But it will take some time to do it."

"That's fine; I shall wait patiently as I avail myself of these drinks." Archer chuckled and prepared to depart into spirit form.

"Wait Archer" Kirei stopped her from leaving, his curiosity overpowering his desire to see Archer gone.

Archer took a gulp of wine half emptying her glass and looked at Kotomine with a raised eyebrow waiting for him to speak.

"Why did you choose that child over Tokiomi?" Kirei asked "Would it not be less hassle to simply have stuck with Tokiomi who is an adult?"

"Perhaps, but Tokiomi insulted me and I had to respond to that" Archer said casually finished off the glass of wine "You see when that thief woman broke into the house and witnessed the summoning he dared to ignore me in favour of her. I could not let such an insult pass without consequences, now I am quite glad that I killed him. His journal indicates that he would have been a boring Master to have anyway."

"Perhaps, but wouldn't a boring master be less of liability than a child who barely understands what's going on?"

"He understands what's going on because I have explained it to him" Archer replied "Besides as I said he is interesting to me"

"In what way is he interesting?" Kirei asked.

Archer sighed and leant back into the sofa.

"First what do you know of the Potter family?" Archer inquired.

It was clear from the look on her face that she already had researched them, but Kirei answered to the best of his knowledge nonetheless.

"Well they are a rather old Wizarding family, they are not typical purebloods and have never subscribed to the pureblood philosophy that other such families do." Kirei explained "They are typically law enforcers or something similar. When a Dark lord rises in the Wizarding World they are typically the first to be on the front lines to battle whoever it is. They are typically the type who charge in to help others with no concern for their own safety. As such they are seen as a family of the Light, as it were."

Archer chuckled as she decided to meet Kirei's gaze.

"Very good, that's exactly what my own investigation into their background revealed" she chuckled "Your basic do-gooders and that is what amuses me about their family."

"What do you mean by that?" Kirei asked "I see nothing amusing about them."

"You would if you knew their ancestry like I do" Archer stated with amusement "I took some of the boy's blood and used it to reveal any lineage he may possess. Imagine my surprise when I found out that he has not one but two Heroes in his ancestry, one from the Potters side of the family, and the other from his Mothers side of the family."

Archer absently brushed one of long golden locks out her face and continued.

"Now, my research indicates that Lilly Evans, his mother. Has an older sister who was a child from a previous marriage and thus does not have the heroes blood inside her, it seems that honour was afforded to Lilly and then to her son" Archer explained

"Harry Potter is descended from two heroes?" Kirei asked with surprise "The odds of just one are ludicrous but two? Its difficult to believe."

"I assure you that I am quite serious"

"And why did you carry out this test of lineage?" Kirei asked "What could have motivated you to take an interest in anyone's ancestry?"

"A passing whim perhaps?" Archer replied "Who can say?"

"So what is about the Potters Hero ancestor that interests you?"

"That hero doesn't interest me in the least" Archer corrected "The identity of that hero certainly amuses me considering the type of family the Potters were, but that Hero doesn't interest me in the slightest. No. It is the identity of the Mothers Hero ancestor that has my attention"

"So who are these Heroes that Harry Potter is descended from?" Kirei asked now curious.

"All in good time Kirei. All in good time." Archer chuckled teasingly "But I'll tell you what, I'll give you a hint as to the identity of the Potter's ancestor if you ask nicely"

"Please" Kirei uttered reluctantly, uncomfortable at the way Archer's chest moved in his sight as she leaned closer.

"Please?" it was clear that Archer was deriving pleasure from Kirei's discomfort.

"Please give me the hint" Kirei said finally.

A few seconds passed and Kirei was caught off guard as Archer lunged at him with speed only a servant had and locked the back of his head in an unbreakable grip, it was then that she rammed her lips against his and kept him there.

A sharp pinch came from Kirei's right shoulder and he lost his ability to move it. Then he felt his sleeve being moved up and suddenly an extremely sharp pain exploded across the arm. Kirei supressed the desire to cry out from the pain and endured it. Even throughout it all Archer still did not break her kiss.

Seconds seemed to stretch on forever until finally the pain stopped and Archer broke her kiss. Kirei finally gripped his arm instinctively as he caught sight of a bloody dagger in Archer's hand which suddenly dissolved as its master dismissed it.

"No reaction at all?" Archer asked with a dissatisfied tone "When I did that to men and women in Uruk they would throw themselves at my feet begging for my attention. You are one of the few who has not reacted in such a manner, and one of even fewer who I have not executed for what could be perceived as an insult to myself. You could count such people on one hand you know."

Kirei ignored Archer and looked at his arm which was now bleeding badly; he saw that Archer had inscribed something into his arm with the dagger. It was a language of some kind, but not one Kirei was familiar with. It was impossible for Kirei to currently decipher.

"What is this?" Kirei demanded angrily as he nursed his arm.

"Your hint" Archer replied as if it was obvious "It is Sumerian. As soon as you decipher it you shall have your hint. But know that what is important is not the meaning of the word but rather what the word is."

This only served to confuse Kirei even further, as he stared at the inscription on his arm.

"When it heals it should scar completely" Archer said "So don't worry about losing that hint, unless you are foolish enough to heal it with magic, in which case I will not provide you with another hint."

"This is cryptic and unhelpful; you may as well have given me no hint at all"

"This is a test of your diligence and intellect" Archer replied "I see no reason to do the work for you. Besides as soon as you have translated that hint and pondered on it, you shall think very differently. We shall speak again Kirei Kotomine; you can count on that at least."

With that Archer disappeared as she dissolved into Spirit Form. Leaving Kirei alone staring at the inscription on his arm which still hurt from being carved into his flesh. Although he had certainly felt worse pains the knowledge did not dull the pain of the carving any.


	7. Of Mad Dogs and Evil Forests

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Zero or anything in the Nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Harry Potter/Fate Zero fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please, constructive criticism only.**

**Personally I think this chapter may be poor quality. So if it is I apologise I've had some personal stuff to deal with at home, so maybe that's why. But either way I hope you enjoy.  
**

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Hidden behind some trees in the Fuyuki central park, Kariya Matou was waiting out of sight. He'd sent a message requesting a meeting to Harry and in the hope that he would come and at least hear him out.

Frankly Kariya would be surprised if Harry didn't blame him for Yume's death. He had kept pondering about it and couldn't come up with anything that even remotely justified not telling Yume the dangers of stealing from Tokiomi's mansion, especially with the Holy Grail War about to begin.

Kariya Matou's thoughts were broken as a nearby bush rustled, out of the shadows stepped Harry Potter. The seven year old was not amused; he looked rather tired and was none too pleased to see Kariya.

"So, you're a master as well?" Harry asked rhetorically with a cold tone.

Kariya flinched but was unsurprised by lack of friendliness from the boy. Yume had told Kariya about how Harry's relatives had abandoned him here in Japan, and how she suspected that they were neglectful if not outright abusive towards him.

Yume herself was like a shining light that made everyone around her feel warmer and happier. Even spending a week with Yume after having such a life would have quickly created a strong attachment to her. For Kariya, Yume's visits were the highlight of his usually miserable week ever since they had met.

Though there were no romantic feelings between them of course, yet she always managed to cheer him up one way or another even after Zouken had made his best attempts to remind Kariya of his numerous failures. He wouldn't put it past the old worm to celebrate Yume's death; because now he would be able to milk Kariya's misery for all that he could and not worry about Yume brightening his day anymore, or ever again.

"Yes, I am" Kariya replied carefully "Is Archer here?"

Kariya's response did not come in words but rather in the form of something dousing him from above.

"Disgusting" a proud voice came from above as bottle of wine landed in a nearby bush "Modern man truly has no taste"

The culprit was Archer lazing on a tree branch seemingly not paying attention. She pulled another bottle of wine from somewhere that Kariya couldn't see and opened it up only to throw it away immediately after she tasted it.

"I knew I should have borrowed some of Kirei's wine instead of trying this swill" Archer complained deciding to try another bottle.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

The stench of blood thickened. Mud was wrapping itself about the edge of Saber's armour, stopping her steps. Behind her, the ground was obscured by stirred dust, soaked through with dampness—not the dampness of rain. A sea of blood surrounded her.

The slaughtered ones were all children. Saber's heart was rent at the thought. She remembered the vision of them, screaming with terror, in the live feed through one of the bat familiar's camera's set up in the forest. That scene was only minute's old, taking place just before Saber burst into the forest. In those short minutes, the lively children became corpses.

Kiritsugu had sent Irisviel and Maiya away from the castle some time ago, apparently anticipating an assault.

"Welcome fair Jeanne. I have waited a long time." Caster greeted the stationary silver-white figure. A complacent smile was plastered on his face, betraying his satisfaction with the lavish banquet. "What do you think of this horrible sight? Does it not pain you?"

Saber had no intention of replying or listening listen. She wanted only to slice Caster in two with her sword. Without hesitation, she took a step forward. Caster stopped talking as he sensed the killing intent radiating from the King of Knights.

He suddenly pulled his hands out from the edges of his cassock. Watching the thing held in front of the mad servant's chest, Saber once again stopped her advance. It was a child—the sole surviving hostage. He was still sobbing as Caster's forearms held him close. It seemed as though Caster left him alive to use as a shield in the battle against Saber.

Caster, feeling relaxed smiled briefly toward Saber.

"Do you despise me Jeanne? Yes, I'm sure you must. I'm certain that you'll never forgive me for turning from Gods love.

"Unhand the child. Monster" Saber's was as tone cold and keen as a blade.

Caster could not help his bursts of laughter. With an expression of disappointment, he softly released his grip and placed the child on the ground.

"Jeanne, if you so dearly wish to save the boy then….child; you should rejoice and be exceedingly glad. God's devout messenger says that she will save you from the fate of your departed friends."

The young child, seemingly understanding that the blonde girl who had sprinted here was his saviour, began to cry loudly at once, and started running toward Saber. His little hands clasped her shin guard, and Saber softly brushed the child's hands with her fingertips. Her situation was now desperate; she could not prepare for battle and ensure the child's safety at the same time. Only the surrounding mountains could protect the child and put her heart at ease.

"It's dangerous here. Now you need to run. Just follow this path and you'll find a castle—"

Clack—the child's spine made a sound and his sobs became painful wails. Saber was shocked speechless as the youth burst apart before her eyes. What erupted out of the child was not red blood bit rather the tentacles of some strange octopus-like creature.

Each one of the appendages were as thick as Saber's arms, extended in a flash and wrapped themselves around the silver armour, constricting Saber's arms and legs. The flesh and blood of the children still clung onto the demonic monsters that Caster had summoned from another world.

More of the creatures continued to emerge from the remains of the hostages scattered everywhere, and almost immediately Saber found herself surrounded by a dozen or so of the beasts.

They were roughly the same size, limbless and lacking a lower body—a verbal description is difficult. Each appendage ended in a circular mouth, an orifice containing razor teeth like a shark's. Their origins were unknown, but they were certainly not living creatures of nature; perhaps creatures from another world, one that does not obey the natural laws.

"Do you not remember what I told you?" Caster let out a loud celebratory laugh. As he spoke, a thick book appeared in his hands. "I said that the very next time that we would meet I would be prepared for you"

The cover was glistening wet. To Saber's disbelief, a piece of human skin was placed on it. Although it looked like an ordinary book by its cover, Saber's senses, detected a massive amount of prana surging and expanding around the book.

Saber remained tightly bound. The carcass, rotten and smashed, was still in her hands. The demonic monsters consumed the flesh of their hosts as they emerge; the carcass remains did not impart any solid sense of weight. The child, crying and clutching her clothes a moment ago, was already reduced to this tragic state.

"Very well. My fight with you, is no longer over….THE GRAIL" Saber announced loudly releasing the raging anger bridled in her heart.

The monsters began to retreat as Saber's Prana exploded outwards. The impact brought a force to Caster's eardrums unmatched by any physical shockwave.

The binding limbs, succumbing to the prana burst before the second was up, disintegrated into slivers of flesh, and scattered out of sight. Not a trace of slime lingered. The silver armour regained its brilliant shine. Amid the hordes of demonic monsters, the girl stood like a god of war, and glared at Caster with blazing eyes.

"Ohhhh, my fair Jeanne …" Caster, awed by Saber's majesty, began to gasp weakly. His expression was not one of doubt or fear; he looked slightly lost and confused. "How noble, how beautiful … Oh Holy Maiden, even gods beauty pales before you!"

"Caster! I take up my sword solely to destroy you. Prepare"

Caster's voice, extraordinarily happy, suddenly lapsed into silence. Taking the cue, the fragile tentacles lashed toward Saber like an avalanche. The swinging of a sword and mad laughter lifted the curtains of another battle to the death.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Shaking away the memories of Yume and some of the wine he had been doused with, Kariya faced Harry, and behind him, the black form of Berserker appeared. Behind Harry, Archer leapt down from her tree branch leaning up against the trunk without a care in the world.

"So what do you want?" Harry asked coldly, and again, Kariya winced.

"An alliance." he answered, willing Berserker to vanish.

"Alliance?" Harry frowned, showing some kind of emotion for the first time.

"I don't want to fight." Kariya said, shaking his head, "Not yet at any rate. Between my Berserker and your Archer, there shouldn't be any trouble wiping out all of the other serva-"

"Mongrel..." Archer said casually, "You realize that I neither need nor want the help of you or your mad dog to put these pretenders in their place? As such, why should I even bother with something as tedious as an alliance? I could simply annihilate your rabid puppy and move on."

"Because without Tokiomi, you don't have sufficient information gathering." Kariya replied to the golden king, "He had a network of spies and sources, both local and aboard, that could be used to keep tabs on the other masters. But with him dead, you no longer have access to those resources. I'm sure that at one time, you could have made due using your youth as a smokescreen to gather information, but after the battle at the docks, your identity is revealed. And the other masters will kill you without a second thought."

" I don't need any information." Harry shook his head, "Archer can handle the other servants, and if I need to, I will deal with masters."

" Then you're a fool!" Kariya shouted, "Do you really intend to throw away the life that Yume save-"

"That's enough." Archer said harshly, and Kariya froze. The look in her eyes was totally different. She was a single word away from obliterating him where he stood and neither he nor Berserker could stop her. Walking towards him with all the grace of a king, she continued talking, "You, of all people, have no right to comment on that matter. After all, who's fault is it that my vassal is in this situation?"

" It's mine..." He answered bitterly, "It's entirely my fault. I.. I never thought that this would happen..." wiping away the phantom tears from his eyes, he looked over at Harry who looked just as distraught as he did, if not more, "And that's why." Kariya said, ignoring the servant glaring at him, "That's why I wanted to talk to you. Why I want to form an alliance between us. Harry, I want you to be able to live through this war more than almost anything. And if things keep going as they have, you won't... let me protect you, for Yume's sake."

" I'm getting her back." Harry said in a hushed voice, but it still echoed in the empty hotel room.

"You're what?" Kariya asked.

"I said that I'm getting her back!" Harry shouted, "Once I win the Holy Grail war, Archer said that she would give me the grail... So I can bring her back..."

Kariya let out a small sigh, "You too, huh?"

Now, it was Harry's turn to look up at him in confusion.

"My own desire for the grail is the same." he said sadly, "There's a little girl out there, suffering a fate worse than death even now. A sweet little girl who never hurt a fly is suffering because a sick old man needs eternal life-" He spat the last two words like they were the most vile curse in humanity's history, and with every ounce of loathing that he could, "The only reason that I'm here, competing in this war, is because that little girl doesn't deserve this. To be violated by worms, tortured endlessly..."

"Because of you?" Archer said, drawing his attention back to the golden armoured servant less than ten feet from him, "That's what you were about to say, right?"

"Because I was too weak." Kariya sighed again, "The Matou magic should have passed to me, but I was too weak and too cowardly to accept it. Instead, I left. I left, and they had to find a replacement..."

Shaking his head to try and alleviate the feeling of guilt he felt, he looked at Harry pleadingly, "I'm not asking you to give me the grail. After what I've done, I don't deserve to ask you for that. All I ask is that you consider this alliance. Once we're the only ones left, Berserker and I will try and rescue Sakura from Zouken's clutches. If I die in the attempt, Berserker will vanish, and the grail will be yours. If I succeed, I will have no need of the grail, and will order him to commit suicide. You can have the grail, either way."

Just as Harry opened his mouth to respond, a loud gunshot was heard. A golden blur stepped in front of Harry at almost impossible speeds. The bullet, aimed at Harry's chest, bounced harmlessly off of Archer's armour.

"It would seem that our meeting was interrupted." Archer said softly, but with an obvious hint of anger. Taking a single step forward, she vanished into golden dust.

Maiya cursed as the bullet missed its mark. Hurriedly, she threw the gun to the side and turned to run. Screw hiding the evidence. If that servant were to find her-

As she reached for the door to the rooftop she was sniping from, the ground beneath her cracked and an intense pain tore through her body from her knee. Looking down, she saw a rapier sticking out of her destroyed knee. Archer was standing idly behind her.

"So, it's you." She said, walking towards her, "Now, I do not care what your reason is for trying to harm my master. However, I will not allow it. Pass this message on to your master, mongrel. The next time you attempt this, I will kill you. Painfully."

As Maiya felt the blood pooling beneath her, she could only watch as the golden armoured servant walked away, disappearing at the edge of the building in a shower of golden light.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Saber believed that she might understand the enemy's intentions somewhat after defeating three monsters. She did not know the reason for it yet but she felt uneasy.

After ten monsters, Saber's suspicion was confirmed. Her enemy intended to overwhelm her by summoning an endless number of these creatures. No matter how many she killed more would replace them. Eventually she would run out of Prana.

But even so it mattered not to her; Saber silently steeled herself. No matter how large the crowd of enemies continued to swell, she had only to defeat them twice as quickly.

Driven by her boiling anger, Saber's sword sped up in the blink of an eye. Thirty. The enemies's numbers did not falter, and a flash of anxiety passed in Saber's heart. Fifty. Saber understood that it was pointless to count anymore. The children's flesh and blood were not the only breeding ground for the demonic monsters.

Through her peripheral vision, Saber realized that new demonic monsters were being born from the corpses of the defeated monsters. That explained why their numbers did not decrease. The defeated demonic monsters were being resurrected almost indefinitely.

'How is this? Is there no end to his Prana?' Saber wondered, the situation looked grim as her eyes settled on the book in his grip 'Impossible the source of his prana is-"

"So that book is your Noble Phantasm?" Saber stated angrily.

"That's right; the Grimiore left to me by the legendary teacher Prelati" Caster confirmed "It gives me the means command a demonic legion to do my will. What do you think my fair Jeanne? It brings back memories doesn't it? Everything is just as it was then, your indomitable warrior spirit and noble bearing proves you to be non other than Jeanne D'Arc!"

'Full of nonsense as always!'But Saber subdued the anger filling her heart, and concentrated on killing the sundry weaklings before her. A word-by-word rebuke would only encourage him.

"So why Jeanne? Why have you not awakened to the truth of this? Do you still believe in God's grace even now? Faced with mortal peril you still believe a miracle will save you. How terribly tragic! Have you forgotten the battle of Compiegne? Even after that awful humiliation you still chose to remain Gods puppet!?"

If only she could block that blabbering mouth! She dearly wished to inform him, with the full force of justice, of the judgment which would be passed on him for the sin he had committed—robbing the lives of children to feed his boring vain hopes—but even as the thought formed, her sword could not touch him at all. Saber was stopped by the wall of demonic monsters that overwhelmed her ten-fold, twenty-fold … She was still too far from Caster.

Finding a slight gap, Saber leapt in—but a tentacle behind her wrapped itself around her head. Reflexively, she stretched out a hand to grab it before it wrapped around her. Her left hand, its thumb completely out of her control, slipped powerlessly across the skin of the limb.

"Uuuu …"

As soon as Saber stopped, her field of view was entirely covered by the wall of monsters. She could only use a prana burst to blow them apart. But with this many …

In the blink of an eye, golden red lightning flashed past and pushed the alien horde back. Before Saber, still gasping after her bonds were loosened, a tall figure dressed in teal armour came into sight.

"That was pathetic, such swordsmanship is unworthy of the tile 'King of Knights'" Saber looked up and was surprised that Lancer had arrived with a smile upon his face.

But Caster's surprise was much greater than Saber's.

"Who are you?!" Caster demanded "And who gave you leave to interfere with our private affair!"

"Yes well, that is my question to you, monster" Lancer stared coldly at the provoked Caster, and with his left pointed the short spear's tip. "It will be my Lance alone that takes Saber's life."

"No it was my prayer! It was my Holy Grail that brought her back to life! She is mine intruder, every scrap of flesh, every drop of blood, and even her very soul belongs to me!" Caster clawed his head, bulged out his eyes, and made strange sounds in his throat.

Lancer was not overwhelmed at all. He shrugged his shoulders and took a deep sigh.

Slowly, Lancer lifted up the tips of the twin spears by his sides, and took up his unique double-spear stance. Standing in front of Saber, he seemed to be shielding the King of Knights behind his back.

"Listen Caster, I am not going to comment on your bizarre notion of romance here. So if you really believe that you are going to make Saber yours here today then go ahead and try it." A burning and yet desolate resolution filled the handsome soldier's eyes as he proclaimed. "But know, that I Diarmuid will not allow you to defeat a crippled Saber in any sort of battle before I can!"

"You came, to help?"

"Don't get the wrong idea" Lancer's sharp glance stopped Saber's words. "The only thing that brought me here today is the order to find and defeat Caster, and so I believe co-operation is our best option Right?"

His words were insufficient explanation; such bold declarations ere unnecessary. He could have chosen the moment when Caster was completely engrossed while dealing with Saber, and looped around behind Caster to launch a surprise attack instead. But Saber questioned him not, and merely nodded at Lancer, a hint of a smile playing on the corners of his mouth, taking up position at his right. Her left now secured, Saber held her sword and face her right. At this moment, she had a most trustworthy left arm.

"Just to be perfectly clear Lancer, Right now, I could kill a hundred of those things with just my left arm."

"A mere hundred of them is child's play."

Trading jests, the two Heroic Spirits sprang toward the gathered demonic monsters. The holy sword and two demonic spears cleaved through the mass of tentacles that stretched toward them from all directions.

"You will pay, don't be conceited you SAVAGE!"

The magecraft tome in Caster's hand throbbed curiously, as if reinforcing his roar; pages flipped by themselves in succession.

The number of demonic monsters suddenly doubled. The fiercer, more tragic second act of the battle began.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald felt enough ease to snicker. Although many of the magecraft artefacts he brought from England were lost when the hotel collapsed, his strongest trump card, his Mystic Code, had always been by his side. He did not feel his battle strength was at any disadvantage.

The trees hindering his sight suddenly disappeared, and the antique stone castle appeared in his sight. So this is it; no less from these prestigious northern magi. Even a relocated castle was a building of abnormal size. But Kayneth, son of the prestigious house of Archibald, only snorted. The castle's majesty might overwhelm others, but it earned no such sentiment from him.

'Not bad. Once Einzbern was dealt with, it maybe I'll take this castle as my new headquarters' Kayneth thought to himself gleefully.

After losing the Hyatt hotel suite; he had obtained an abandoned factory on the city outskirts as his temporary base, and hid Sola there.

Predictably, his fiancée's mood could not be worse; even his own pride would not tolerate such an environment. If this was his plan, he would have to keep building damage to a minimum. Kayneth laughed presumptuously and placed the large porcelain vase he carried under his arm on the ground. As it left his hand, the vase sank deeply into the earth. This vase, under a weight reduction spell to make it easier to carry, actually weighed almost a hundred and forty kilograms.

"Fervor, mei sanguis."

Once he chanted the activating spell, something oozed out from the mouth of the vase. The mirror-like metal sheen of the liquid made it readily identifiable as mercury. Flowing from the vase like a disciplined primeval creature, the mass of shivering mercury—roughly ten kilograms or so—formed a ball. Among the many in his possession, this was one of the Mystic Codes Lord El-Melloi took much pride in: Volumen Hydragyrum.

"Automatoportum defensio: Automatoportum quaerere: Dilectus incursio."

Obeying Kayneth's low chanting the surface of the mass of mercury vibrated and rustled as if in answer, following his feet on the ground to approach the gates of the castle.

"Scalp!"

As Kayneth yelled, a part of the mercury ball suddenly became a long and thin ribbon, extending upwards. The mercury ribbon savagely thrashed the door like a whip. Right before impact, the mercury whip suddenly compressed itself into a thin edge only a few millimetres thick, becoming a razor sharp mercury blade.

Attacked by this mercury blade edge, the heavyset bolt was cut in half smoothly, like a piece of tofu. The great gates collapsed inwards with a heavy groan.

Mercury is a heavy liquid at room temperature; moving rapidly under high pressure, it possessed great kinetic energy. Furthermore, mercury could change its form, creating functional weapons like whips, spears, and blades. Its sharpness could even overwhelm laser rays and rival pressurized water jet cutters. He carried about him the confidence of assured victory, for even the most solid defence stood no chance before Lord El-Melloi's Volumen Hydragyrum. Titanium alloys, or diamonds—nothing was unbreakable.

Kayneth walked leisurely toward the great hall of the castle after finishing off the obstacle. The crystal chandelier in the hall emanated brilliant light, and the marble floor, polished to an extreme, had not a single flaw. Even the air felt extraordinarily still, save for Kayneth's presence—of course, not a single person came out to greet him.

"Kayneth El-Melloi has arrived, the ninth patriarch of the Archibald family!" Kayneth, with an air of command, proclaimed loudly in the deserted hall. "Mage of the Einzberns, Come forth and let us duel for possession of the Holy Grail, with our lives and our sacred honour on the line."

As he reached the center of the hall, the four flower vases placed at the four corners suddenly exploded with an enormous roar. However, it was not porcelain fragments that flew out from the explosion, but countless metal beads, springing toward Kayneth like bullets.

In the split second before nearly three thousand steel balls reached Kayneth, the spot he was standing on was enveloped in a silver semi-circle. The mass of mercury lying recumbent beside his feet suddenly changed form. Although the tight, thin mercury membrane wrapped around Kayneth was barely a millimetre thick, its surface tension could match the strength of steel when supported with prana. Not a single bead dispersed by the Claymore mines had hit Kayneth. The storm of beads, reflected by the mercury barrier, hammered the setups in the hall into smithereens. This was Volumen Hydragyrum's "automated defence" mode.

This pre-set magecraft automatically responded when Kayneth was threatened, forming a powerful protective membrane in a split second. This kind of reaction speed could defend him even from bullets. It was also this defence system Volumen Hydragyrum created that protected Kayneth and Sola when the Hyatt hotel collapsed. The malleable mercury was a perfect weapon that combined attack and defence, serving Kayneth as both sword and shield.

"Have you fallen so low, Einzbern?" Kayneth mumbled more lamentation than anger in his tone. Saber's Master probably was not the one employing such despicable methods; it must have been some lowly hired goon. Even so, it was a very contemptible thing to do. Inviting unrelated combatants to this holy battlefield was utterly unforgivable. "Fine then. This is no longer a duel, but an extermination."

Stirring his killing intent, Kayneth walked deeper into the enemy's defences.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Through the CCTV cameras concealed in the main hall, Kiritsugu meticulously observed the power of Volumen Hydragyrum, Lord El-Melloi's pride. It worked by using spells to manipulate mercury for automatic protection.

Its speedy defence meant that Kiritsugu could not rely on firearms to attain victory. Although annoyed, he admitted that this magus possessed first-rate skills. In which case he would have to confront this opponent as a magus, on his own terms of course

Right now, in his search for his enemy, Kayneth was most likely searching each room on the first floor one by one. Kiritsugu was located at the innermost part of the second floor. If he acted immediately, there should be enough time to pick a stage to his advantage. Kiritsugu analysed the castle floor plan in his head as he walked out of his room and toward the door—his footsteps suddenly stopped.

A drop of mercury, like a thread of cobweb, hung in the door's keyhole. Although only a tiny bit of mercury, Kiritsugu could still see it drooping toward the ground, leaving a silver trail on the door's surface. Right when he spotted it, the drop of mercury suddenly stopped moving. Retracing its tracks, it retreated back through the keyhole like a live creature, and disappeared.

"I see; automated probes."

Following his bitter remark, a ray of silver light sprang up from below the salon's carpet. In the blink of an eye, a circle was cleanly cut through the floor at the centre of the room, which fell to the ground below.

A silver tentacle leapt up from that circular hole. Rising before Kiritsugu, Volumen Hydragyrum took the form of a metallic jellyfish. Endless appendages grabbed the edge of the opening on the floor, while the base, opening in the middle like an umbrella, expanded into a flat, bowl-like platform. The smiling one on the platform was Lord El-Melloi himself.

"I found you, pathetic rat …"

Before the triumphant Kayneth ordered an attack, Kiritsugu had already drawn the submachine gun from his waist holster and opened fire.

Reacting immediately, Volumen Hydragyrum formed a protective membrane in front of Kayneth and blocked the ferocious bullet hail. It took only a few seconds to empty fifty bullets—precious seconds that gave Kiritsugu ample time to chant his spell.

"Time Alter: Double Accelerate!" The prana inside Kiritsugu began to dart at light speed.

"Scalp!" Kayneth gave the proclamation of death the moment Kiritsugu's firing ceased. The two mercury whips that leapt up flew toward the prey in a pincer formation, attacking from the flanks.

"Hm?!"

Just as the two silver whips were about to hit, Kiritsugu dodged the attack with

unbelievable speed and quickly leapt below Volumen Hydragyrum, on which Kayneth was standing, through the hole in the ground cleaved out by the mercury blade. This took place with such rapidity that human eyes could not see his movements clearly.

Though Kayneth felt a little careless, this strange sight failed to surprise him. After all, this was a battle between Magus which ignored ordinary rules; a little pest with extraordinary abilities was hardly an oddity.

"He manipulated the flow of time to greatly accelerate himself by using his own body as a Reality Marble." Kayneth deduced "It seems that he knows a little magic after all."

A small smile passed Kayneth's face, but a killing intent was already in heart. Ordinary pest or otherwise, even if he had some schooling in magecraft, he was a lowly man who stooped to dirty means. Such actions, which brought dishonour to mages, could not be tolerated.

"Still only a miserable little coward would depend on petty tricks after being trained as a Magus. Perhaps dying will teach him his place"

Kayneth flipped the tail of his coat and leapt down to the first floor. Volumen Hydragyrum liquesced and slowly descended as well.

"Ire: Sanctio!"

The mercury's thin tentacles scattered with these orders, once again scanning the entire first floor, immediately confirming the target's location. Following the tracks of the tracing mercury, a bloodthirsty smile gleaned on Kayneth's lips.

"If he's manipulating his inner time it must be placing enormous stress on his body." Kayneth reasoned "I've found him, now then how far can you run as exhausted as you are?"

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Kiritsugu, who was running through the corridors, felt like his entire body was being devoured by the after-effects of his magecraft. The skill he used to dodge Kayneth's Mystic Code just then was not a basis physical enchantment. It was advanced magecraft with a greater range of utility—and, of course, with far stronger side effects.

The ability to separate the passage of time inside a designated space from the flow of time in the outside world—in some ways, Time Manipulation could be regarded as a type of Reality Marble.

Although classified as greater magecraft, it was definitely not unreplicatable magic. Compared to Time Modification, which could reverse cause and effect, changing the past, this was merely magecraft of Time Adjustment which could stagnate time passed and accelerate time to come; it was not magecraft of extraordinary difficulty. The only consideration was the size of the bounded field and the amount of time that needed to be manipulated.

For Kiritsugu Emiya, who only crafted strategies to survive on the battlefield, it was originally a rather useless inheritance. However, to use the time control ability he had inherited optimally, Kiritsugu created a flexible way of utilizing this magecraft on a very small scale. A method that limited the bounded field's scope within the practitioner's body made it easier to establish a Reality Marble.

Although it was impossible to completely isolate the flesh from the outside world, it could minimize the effect of the outside world on the body. Within this minimal bounded field, he could manipulate time, a few seconds at a time. This was the magecraft that Emiya Kiritsugu created—Innate Time Control.

In the fight with Kayneth just then, Kiritsugu accelerated his blood flow, metabolism, and muscle movement all at the same time. The rest was simply his quick reaction to the attack; the paths of the mercury whips were easily predicted and avoided. Kiritsugu was capable of accomplishing physical feats impossible for ordinary humans after he accelerated time inside his body. Its biggest drawback was the huge burden it placed on the body.

The craft of time modification inevitably created discrepancies between the time within and without the bounded field. These discrepancies would immediately be corrected by natural forces when the bounded field is removed, in accordance with natural laws, wherever they occurred. Now, in Kiritsugu's bounded field —his physical body—adjustments were taking place in his flesh to synchronise it with the ordinary flow of time.

Death was an ever-present danger that accompanied the use of magecraft, and Innate Time Control was Kiritsugu's riskiest technique. He had just walked the tightrope of his lifeline above the canyon of Death.

Kiritsugu suddenly stopped as he turned a corner, and hid in the shadow of a pillar. The mercury approached him not only from behind, but spread silently over the entire corridor, creeping ever closer, and closer. In all likelihood, the mercury tentacles were forming a giant web and sealing off all his exits.

"Time Alter: Triple Stagnate."

Following the chanting of the spell, Kiritsugu's field of view suddenly brightened incredibly. The outer world had not changed; it was only his delusion. Though Kiritsugu's optic nerves still registered the same visions, his cornea was receiving three times the amount of light a person's eyes would normally take in.

'These things don't have eyes' Kiritsugu thought to himself as the probe continued trying to detect his presence 'If I can slow my internal time to a third and lower my pulse and respiration as far as they go, they can't sense me.'

Detecting no signs of the enemy, the searching mercury web speedily retreated, retracing its steps. The sound of footsteps on the marble floor followed. Thinking no one present, Kayneth walked on without precaution …

"Release Alter!"

His brightened sight and sharp hearing returned to normal in the blink of an eye. Kiritsugu's heart began to beat extremely quickly; every blood vessel in his body seemed at bursting point.

His aching body was adjusting to blood flow up to three times its original speed; it must be bruising in a few places from internal bleeding due to burst capillaries. But before these adjustments completed themselves, Kiritsugu had already leapt from behind the pillar. Kayneth, arriving at the corridor, reacted, but Kiritsugu was merely fifteen meters away.

"Kayneth!"

Kiritsugu immediately opened fire on the wide-eyed magus with the Calico in his left hand. Despite Kayneth's shock, Volumen Hydragyrum deployed its abilities accurately and loyally as ever. The protective membrane opened up in the blink of an eye and blocked the storm of bullets—a replay of the scene before.

"You're a fool it's a waste of time"

Kiritsugu ignored Kayneth and with his unencumbered right hand pulled the Contender out and took aim at center of the expanded, semi-circular mercury membrane. A grin found its way onto his face. Victory was his.

[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]-[-]

Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri was currently disgusted, which was to be expected as she was wandering through the sewers after all. Usually she would give up or find another way if what she wanted was only gotten through means like trudging through the sewers. But not this time.

No. She wanted to impress Lancer, and what better way than by tracking down Berserkers Master? Whom she had realized was hiding down here in the sewers somewhere. However what she sought now wasn't the Master of Berserker but something perhaps more valuable. She had found an entrance crudely carved into the sewers underneath the Tohsaka Manor. Her familiars indicated that it lead straight into the Manor.

It certainly explained how Archer and her Master were able to leave without being seen. It was clever to hide the entrance down here, most Magus wouldn't even think of looking in the sewers as they were too arrogant to think of it. However Sola was not most Magus, she learnt to succeed and get what she wanted by thinking outside the conventional box that most Magus like stay inside of.

Finally after nearly half an hour of trudging she found the entrance her familiars had discovered. She cautiously approached and began analysing it just in case of anything that might be hidden.

"Strange, no bounded fields, no barriers and absolutely nothing to detect an intruder at all." Sola muttered to herself "I suppose Archer and her Master probably thought that no one would find this place. Unfortunately for them I am not most Magus"

Sola Ui entered the passage and passed through the tunnel into the Tohsaka Manor, making sure to keep a wary eye out for any traps that might lie ahead.


End file.
